Episodes of a Life
by Lia06
Summary: Daniel and Betty face various important moments throughout their married life.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_ or anything recognizable. This isn't in the same universe as my last UB story. And I really would appreciate reviews!

Title: Episodes of a Life

Rating: K+

Summary: Daniel and Betty face various important moments throughout their married life.

* * *

1.

Daniel Meade rushed past his assistant on his way to his office. He was preoccupied and didn't have time for Maddie's peppy babble. His wife had been feeling sick for the past several days and she had a doctor's appointment that morning, of which he was eagerly awaiting the results. "There's a woman waiting for you in your office, Mr. Meade," she said as he walked into the apartment. "I think it's your sister."

He nodded and walked into his apartment and sat down at his desk. "What now, Alexis? I really don't have time for this."

"You seriously need a new receptionist," the person sitting opposite him said. "I'm not Alexis and I'm not Claire. And Claire says that Maddie keeps telling you that she's your wife or your sister. If Alexis ever came near your office, she'd probably get mistaken for your mother or me."

Daniel looked up at his wife and smiled. "I'm sorry, darling. How are you? How was your doctor's appointment?"

"I have something you need to see," Betty replied. She handed him a green folder. "Take a look at that and let me know what you think."

He took the folder and opened it. There was what appeared to be an ultrasound sitting on top of several pieces of paper. And there was a small white blob with a circle around it. "Okay, either you're pregnant or you have cancer," he said. "And I really would prefer the first to the second for a multiple of reasons."

"Well, Mr. Meade, in this case your wish is my command."

"You're pregnant?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm due in April."

"I'm going to be a daddy?"

Betty got up and walked over to her husband who pulled her into his lap. "Am I going to be a daddy?" he asked again, holding her small body close.

She smiled and kissed him. "Yes, you're going to be a daddy, you dork."

"Then I'm firing Maddie and finding someone more efficient to take her place. I can't have some ditz forgetting to tell me that my wife called me to tell me she's in labor."

Daniel Meade had inherited his father's heart problems. But he intended to live to see his grandchildren and therefore was taking no chances. If his doctor said to do it, he was going to do it. He was going to be there for his grandchildren's weddings. Bradford Meade had died before Daniel's wedding and Daniel wasn't going to repeat that act for his own unborn child. He had every intention of living to a ripe old age. He had married Betty and now he was going to watch their children grow up and grow old with his wife. He hated taking medicine but Betty hid it in his bagel every morning. She knew all the tricks for getting him to do what he didn't want to do. She had been his assistant for four years and now she'd been his wife for about a year. And that was after dating him for two years and being engaged to him for another year. There was no question about it; after nearly seven years, Betty Suarez-Meade knew her husband better than anyone else alive, even better than his own mother and sister. And he trusted her more than he'd ever trusted any other friends in his life. She was decidedly more trustworthy than, say, Becks.

* * *

2.

"Why do you want to know the sex of the baby?" Daniel asked his wife. "There are so few real surprises in life anymore. Can't we just have this one?"

"But we have to decorate the nursery and buy clothes. And we have to do it all in the right colors."

"We're painting the nursery yellow. And the kid isn't going to know what color his or her clothes are right away. We can buy it new clothes after it is born."

"Stop calling our baby an 'it'!" his five-months-pregnant wife yelled. "If you'd let me find out the sex of the baby, we could call our child him or her. And I'd like that. I don't like calling the baby it."

He sighed. "We could call the baby something like the McNugget or the plum or something like that."

Betty shook her head. "No, I want to know the sex of the baby. Then we can come up with a name."

"What if you find out the sex of the baby and I don't? Would that work for you?"

"How am I going to hide something like that from you?"

Just then the door of the exam room opened and the doctor walked in. "Have you two decided if you want to know the sex of the baby?"

Daniel sighed. "She wants to know and everyone knows that pregnant women always win."

* * *

3.

"Everything in this room is pink," Christina said looking around the nursery of Daniel and Betty's new house.

"The walls are yellow. The crib is white," Betty protested. "And so are the changing table and rocking chair."

"But all of her bedding and accessories are pink!"

"She's going to be a girly-girl," the mother-to-be protested. "And Daniel agreed to all of it."

"Honey, he loves you and you're pregnant with his baby. He doesn't know how to say no to you."

"But I'm the first person who has ever said no to him."

"I know you two are talking about me," Daniel said as he walked into the room and wrapped his arms around his wife's pregnant belly.

"We're talking about how much you love Betty and the baby," Christina told him.

Betty laughed as her husband kissed her cheek. "You were talking about how I can't say no to my wife, weren't you?"

"I love you, darling, but you do have a hard time saying no to me."

"You're pregnant with my baby," he replied. "How am I supposed to say no to you when you're eight months pregnant with my baby? You had horrible morning sickness for the first several months and it wasn't just in the morning. I felt horrible. But once this baby comes, I'm going back to being Daniel Hard-ass."

"You were never Daniel Hard-ass before," his wife replied. "Granted, you do have a hard ass from working out for an hour a day but that's not the kind of hard ass we're talking about it."

He frowned. "You, go and sit in the rocking chair. You're being a little too sassy for my liking. Now go sit down and stay quiet until I figure out what I'm going to do with you."

Betty sat down in her rocker and smiled demurely at her husband. "Yes, sir, I'll be a good girl."

Christina shook her head. "I'm leaving now. I'll see you two later. Have fun being lovebirds."

* * *

4.

Three weeks later, Baby Girl Meade made her appearance. Betty went into labor while watching _Sleepless in Seattle_ in the middle of the afternoon and had to call Daniel at work. Thankfully, Amanda, who was currently Daniel's secretary, ran right into his office to tell him that "Baby Meade had decided she was done incubating and he had to get his butt to the hospital right away." Daniel walked out on a meeting to go be with his wife. And as she watched him rush to the elevator, Amanda couldn't help but smile. Daniel Meade, president of Meade Publications, was going to be a father.

"She's perfect," Betty said, holding her baby daughter in her arms after twenty hours of labor. "She's absolutely perfect. She has ten toes and ten little fingers and one nose and two eyes and two ears and a mouth. And she's perfect."

Daniel beamed. "Your dad says that she looks just like you did when you were born. She has the same eyes and the same hair."

"And she's absolutely beautiful."

"Just like her mother," the proud papa replied.

"Do you guys have a name for her yet?" Hilda asked. "You've known you were having a girl since December."

"Sarah Claire," Daniel replied. "Sarah is Hebrew for princess and we thought that was perfect. And Claire, we picked that one for my mom."

Claire Meade beamed at her son. Daniel made her so proud in so many ways that she'd never expected. He was married to a wonderful woman and now he had a beautiful baby girl. After all of Alexis's power-mongering, Daniel had taken the reins of Meade Publications and restored its face of honor in the world of publications. No more was it known of Bradford's innumerable affairs and escapades or the scandal surrounding Fey Sommers's death. Now, it was known for Daniel's charitable contributions to the New York area and his campaign to restore integrity to his family's magazines. His use of "normal women" as models for _Mode_'s fashion shows was now company policy. He was determined to make things real and not to project stereotypes or push unreality on young girls. He was determined to make his mother proud and his wife happy.

"Sarah's such a common name," Justin said. "You guys need something original that no one else would ever think of or us."

Daniel looked at his brother-in-law. "Do you have any suggestions?"

He shrugged. "Not off the top of my head but if you gave me a while, I could come up with something."

Betty sighed. "Justin, she's our baby. If you want to name a kid something original, have your own baby. Sarah isn't as common of a name as it used to be although it still is popular. But it's a pretty name. And she needs a name she can live with."

"Betty's right," Hilda told her son. "She and Daniel are Sarah's parents. They get to name her whatever they want to name her."

Justin sighed as Claire added, "And a Sarah Meade isn't going to get beaten up in the playground because of her name."

* * *

5.

Five years later, Betty Meade was walking down the hallway to baby Lucas's nursery to put him to bed. She could hear Daniel getting William and Sarah ready for bed. It was bath night, which was always Daddy's job; and William was putting up a fight, as usual. He didn't like water and he didn't like being forced to take a bath. Sarah was already sitting on the counter in her _Beauty and the Beast_ nightgown with her hair neatly braided and her teeth brushed while her father wrestled with her little brother. After putting Lucas to bed, Betty came back to the bathroom and found her husband getting just as much of a bath as their son. "So who's winning the war, General Meade?"

Daniel smiled as a soap bubble landed on his head. "There's a reason I wear clothes I don't care about when I give him a bath. Now, can you hand me a dry towel?"

Betty gave him a towel as he lifted Will out of the bathtub. He toweled his son dry and got him into his pajamas. "Now bed," William announced.

"No, Daddy still has to brush your teeth, silly!" Sarah told him.

The three-year-old made a face as his father lifted his sister off the counter and put him up on it. "I don't like this part. Can we do this later?"

Daniel shook his head and brushed his son's teeth as Betty cleaned up the bathtub area. When Will's teeth were brushed, his father picked him up and took Sarah by the hand. "All right, one story and then you two are off to dreamland," he told them, leading them to Sarah's bedroom.

Sarah's bedroom was a fairy-tale princess's dream come true. The walls were still yellow but her bed had a canopy over it and the room was filled with little things that made it like a castle. Her grandmother had taken over the décor of Sarah's room, including the cost, and now Sarah's every wish for her room was her "fairy grandmother's command." Sarah, at age five, was almost all Suarez. She had the Latina spitfire act down perfectly and could make her father feel guilty with just one look. She loved fashion, which was probably a Meade trait primarily, and she loved cooking. And she always wanted to be right.

William Ignacio Meade was three years old; having been born in January of 2015. Physically, he was the perfect mix of Daniel and Betty; he had dark brown hair but bright blue eyes. Daniel had to be William's disciplinarian because his wife just couldn't say no to those innocent clear blue eyes. And he was a mix of his parents in his personality. He could throw temper-tantrums that could make either Aunt Hilda or Aunt Alexis feel proud. But then he could be kind and loving like his mother. Whenever anyone was sad, he had to hug them and make them smile. He didn't like it when people were mad at him, which was very much a Daniel trait. And he was very affectionate, always ready with an "I sorry" and a hug and kiss.

Lucas Bradford Meade was the latest addition to the Meade Empire. At ten months old, it was hard to tell which one of his parents he was going to act more like. He was a cuddly baby but he also liked to try to do things for himself. He had his father's light brown hair and his mother's dark brown eyes. He loved bright, shiny things. And he loved to smile and laugh. But Betty also saw him as most likely to end up with Daniel's "smile and thumbs up" trick. He was easily distracted like his father. "But he makes up for it by having your smile," Betty told her husband one day.

* * *

6.

"When my dad first hired you all the years ago, did you ever think you'd end up where you are now?" Daniel asked his wife as they sat in bed that night.

"I think I was hired to avoid ending up in bed with you. You wouldn't be attracted me, or so Bradford thought," she replied, snuggling up against her pillow and looked up at her husband.

He smiled. "I know. But what I meant was this; you were the editor in chief of _Mode_ until Sarah was born. You're considered to be one of the most fashionable women in New York."

"If only people knew I had a personal shopper and I just let Christina do what she wants," Betty muttered.

Her husband laughed. "You're married to the president of Meade Publications and you're the mother of his three children. Did you ever think you'd be here?"

"Well, this morning, I was really hoping that I'd end the day in bed. I hate the days when the kids wear me out and I fall asleep on the couch or they're sick so I end sleeping in their rooms." She looked at him for a minute. "How is it that you have this huge powerful job with all this stress but you sleep more than I do?"

"I'm just talented," he replied. "And it's not my fault. I didn't tell Alexis to leave the company; that was Mom."

"But you're the kids' father and you sleep more than I do."

He groaned. "You usually tell me to go to bed so I don't fall asleep at work the next day. And I was the one who asked you to marry me. And I was the one who impregnated you with each of those little monsters who are sleeping away in their bedrooms right now so that's why you're stuck taking care of them."

"So it's all your fault," she said, leaning against his bare chest. "If it weren't for you, my life would be so much easier. And I would sleep more."

"But you wouldn't have such nice clothes or such a beautiful house. I do pay for the house and the bed."

"Nor would I be the mother of three amazing children," Betty said. "So, I never imagined that I'd be where I am right now, especially leaning against the bare, sculpted chest of one of New York's sexiest men."

"It must be a pretty nice place to be," he said.

"Daniel, I want another daughter," his wife informed him, out of nowhere."

"I think Bloomingdale's is having a sale," he replied, running a hand through her hair.

"Are daughters still next to the place where you trade in smart-ass husbands?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, they moved that department; now it's by the place where you get your Latina spitfire of a wife reprogrammed to act more like Nicole Kidman in _The Stepford Wives_."

"Can we be serious here?"

Daniel pulled himself up into a sitting position as Betty did the same. "You know there's a fifty percent chance that you'll have another boy. After all, I am Daniel Meade. I have more sons than daughters."

"Daniel," Betty said with a sigh. "I know the chances of having a boy are good. And I'm not sure I want to another baby just yet. But I know that I want one. And I need to know that you're open to the possibility of another baby. You're the dad here; you get a say in this. And if you're fine with three kids, then I can be happy too."

Daniel smiled. "If you think we can do it again, then I'm up for it. But I'm not sure I want anything more than four kids," he told her. "But I'll promise you this. If we try for another baby and get a boy, I'll give you one more shot to get a girl. But we aren't having anymore than five children."

* * *

7.

Betty and Daniel ended up with five children. Two days into Fashion Week 2019, Betty Suarez-Meade gave birth to Nikolas Daniel Meade, who looked almost nothing like his father. And then shortly before Christmas 2021, Betty finally got her second girl when Vivianna Rosa Meade was born. "Are you happy now?" Daniel asked his wife as she held the tiny newborn blue-eyed baby in her arms.

She beamed up at him. "We have the five most perfect children ever born. They're all healthy and beautiful and happy and perfect."

He smiled and kissed her. "So when are you coming back to work?"

"The thirty-fifth of never," she replied. Betty had left _Mode_ when Sarah was born because she wanted to raise her own children. She didn't want some nanny raising her kids and being a better parent to them than she was. She wanted to reduce the Meade family therapy bills. And the Meade family didn't need the money by any stretch of the imagination. The only reason for Betty work, ever, had been because she wanted to. And when Vivianna started school, Betty could go back to work.

"You're never coming back? But I miss seeing you at work."

"Darling, I haven't been there in eight and a half years."

"So when are you going to come back and protect me?"

Betty looked down at the baby in her arms. "Daniel, I like being Mommy. I like putting band-aids on cuts and kissing boo-boos. I did the whole magazine thing and I can do it again when this little one starts school. But right now, I like knowing where my kids are and what they're doing."

"I understand," Daniel replied.

"And I will come back someday. And I write freelance articles for you. I just don't have to be at Meade Publications every day and when I do come in, I can bring the kids with me."

"But you usually end up leaving them in my mom's office."

"She likes them."

"I've noticed," Daniel told his wife with a smile. Claire Meade had become a loving, devoted grandmother over the past several years. Sarah was her favorite but she loved all of her grandchildren. She loved buying them clothes and toys and other presents. And she was more than willing to baby-sit or just come over and play with them.

* * *

8.

Christmas in the Suarez-Meade family was always a big production. Betty had to take all of her children to Macy's so they could see Santa and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. And then they had to go cut down a tree for the living room and decorate it. Christmas cookies were an absolute must. And then there was Vivianna's birthday; it was three days before Christmas but her parents didn't want her to feel like she was just getting presents for Christmas and they'd forgotten her birthday. For Daniel and Betty, there were presents that had to be bought and then hidden until Christmas Eve. Thankfully, Ignacio always had his grandchildren over to help decorate his tree and Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve so Betty and Daniel could wrap their children's presents. Christmas 2027 was the first Christmas after Betty had gone back to work. Just before Vivianna started kindergarten, the Editor in Chief of _Mode_ had retired and Daniel had hired his wife back almost immediately. And she was perfect for the job. She loved it too. Sometimes she felt like she worked too much but she knew that her children did understand. Sarah was fourteen and more than capable of babysitting her younger siblings for a couple hours when necessary. And Daniel always made his wife leave work by six o'clock. "You would have done the same for me," he told her. "And you need to go home and be Mommy."

Both Daniel and Betty had taken two weeks off work for Christmas. They wanted to spend time as a family. "Christmas is about family and we're going make good use of a couple weeks as a family," Daniel reminded their children a few days before Christmas. "We're going to spend New Year's with Grandma Claire in Vail."

"Is Aunt Alexis coming?" William, now thirteen years old, asked, wrinkling his nose. Aunt Alexis was not a great favorite of her nieces and nephews, primarily due to her overly competitive personality.

His mother shook her head. "Aunt Alexis and her boyfriend are spending the holidays in the Bahamas. But I'm sure she'll call on Christmas."

"She doesn't have to," Vivianna announced from her dad's lap. "I won't mind."

"Vivianna Rosa Meade," Daniel said. "Your aunt loves you."

"She never comes to visit or play with me. And when she sends presents, they're stupid stuff that I'm too young for. Aunt Hilda's presents are way better."

"I like Justin's presents," Nikolas piped up. "He goes fun places."

"Is he coming for Christmas at Grandpa Suarez's?" Vivianna asked.

Betty smiled. "He'll be there when you go over to decorate the tree in a couple days. He's flying in from London tomorrow."

"Do you know what he's getting us this year?" Sarah asked.

"If we knew, would we tell you?" her mother replied.

"London, that's so cool," William said. "When did he go there? I thought he was in Paris."

"He's on tour in Europe right now," Daniel replied. "But he's taking a break for Christmas. He misses home."

"He hasn't been home in two years," Lucas complained. "We always have to go see him where he is. When is he going to be back on Broadway?"

"Aunt Hilda wants him to come home," Nikolas said.

"Is he still dating that French ballerina guy?" Will asked.

Justin was his cousins' favorite relative due to his exotic life. He was touring Europe with the touring companies of Broadway shows, most recently he'd been Lumiere in _Beauty and the Beast_. And his personal life was always interesting. He had been dating a French ballerina named Francois but they had broken up about a year earlier. "Justin is currently single," Betty told her son. "But you never know with him."

"One day he's going to show up married to some Czech model with three kids and we're all going to say, 'But I thought he was gay!'" Sarah said. "That's what Aunt Hilda thinks."

"I think Aunt Hilda is just lonely," Will told his sister. "She's been single for forever."

"Relationships don't make you happy," his older snapped. "Aunt Alexis always has some guy but she's never happy. Just because Mom and Dad make each other happy doesn't make it a universal rule."

"But wouldn't you like to have a marriage like Mom and Dad's?"

"Can we talk about what we're actually here to talk about?" Betty asked. "I'm glad you approve of my relationship with your father but we're talking about our vacation to Vail."

"Can we get a dog?" Lucas asked.

"In Vail?" Daniel replied. "We're not getting a dog while we're in Vail."

"Can we get one when we get back?" Nikolas asked.

"Your mother and I need to talk about it. Getting a dog is a big commitment. We have a tank filled with fish, Sarah has two canaries, and we have two cats. I'm not sure quite sure how I feel about adding a dog into the mix. It's hard enough trying to keep Otto and Henry from trying to eat Peter and Maggie and the fish. I don't know that adding a dog into the mix would go over terribly well."

"But I want a dog!" Nikolas protested.

"And I want to go on a week-long vacation with Daddy and no kids, but I don't get everything I want just because I want it."

Nikolas and Lucas were sitting next to each other pouting when Otto, the family's orange tabby cat, ran into the room and jumped up on Lucas's lap. "Do you like Otto?" Daniel asked his sons.

"He's fun," Lucas said. "But you can't take Otto for a walk and I want to take someone for a walk."

"Take Vivianna for a walk," Will muttered. "She's almost like a dog."

"All right," Daniel said as his younger daughter started crying. "Will, meet me in the kitchen. Anna, go see Mom. I'll talk to you in a couple minutes."

* * *

9.

"I told you I could be a hard-ass dad," Daniel told his wife that night.

"When did this occur?"

"When Sarah was born," he replied. "You said I couldn't. Well, I think I am. Will is grounded and has to apologize for his little sister. And I didn't smack him."

"Congratulations," his wife said, kissing his cheek.

"Betty, am I an old man?" he asked suddenly.

She looked at him, slightly shocked. He had to wear reading glasses. And he was starting to get a sprinkling of gray hair around his temples. He was fifty-two years old and only eight years younger than Bradford had been when he died. "Is this about your dad?"

"Will is twelve," he said. "In eight years he'll be twenty. And in nine years, I'll have outlived my father. Vivianna is six and I want to live to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. I want to see my grandchildren."

Betty leaned against his still perfect chest and sighed. "You're not old. You take better care of yourself than your father did. You take your medication and you work out. And you try to avoid stress."

"But am I an old man?"

"Did someone call you an old man?"

He nodded. "Will said I was an old man and couldn't relate to teasing a younger sibling."

"Honey, he was mad at you. And you have a younger sibling; she's just thirty-three years younger than you. And you don't usually see Talia enough to make fun of her."

"I'm also too mature to make fun of her," Daniel told his wife. "We are both adults now."

Betty laughed. "Yes, Daniel, you're all grown up now."

* * *

A/N: I thought about continuing but it's really long already. Please review and let me know what you think. I might do a sequel if I get enough encouragement.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I was shocked by how well this story was received but I'm glad to oblige and come back with more of it. Obviously, I don't own what you recognize.

* * *

10.

"Our baby girl is starting college tomorrow," Betty announced when Daniel walked into the kitchen one evening in late August.

"That would explain all the boxes in the living room," he replied.

His wife rolled her eyes. "Daniel, I'm going to miss her."

"I know. But she's only going to be in Boston; we'll see her. And we do have four more kids who will still be at home that you have to love and care for."

"But she's our first born. And she's leaving us."

"She'll still come home for vacations. Honey, it's not like she's dying or moving to Antarctica."

Betty smiled as Daniel wiped a tear away from his wife's eye. "But I'm not going to see her every day and be able to ask her about her day."

"We live in a modern age of technology. You can call her or email her."

"Is Mom still crying about Sarah?" Lucas asked walking into the kitchen. "Or are we finally going to have dinner?"

"We're going out for dinner," Daniel replied. "We're letting Sarah pick the restaurant and we're going out as a family."

Lucas groaned. "Does that mean I have to dress up?"

"Lucas, your idea of dressing up involves wearing a polo shirt," his father told him. "Some of us have to wear suits to work every day."

His son looked at his father's three-piece pinstriped suit and raised his eyebrows. "I'm going to be in a band when I grow up. I'm never getting old and getting any kind of dumb corporate desk job. I'm going to wear jeans and sneakers for the rest of my life."

"Your mother likes me better in my dumb suits than in sneakers."

"You guys are just old," Lucas said. "You don't know fashion."

"Lucas," Daniel said with a slight smile. "Your mother and I own _Mode_ magazine. Your mother is the editor in chief there and is frequently referred to as the most fashionable woman in New York."

"Yeah and you wear suits to work all the stinking time. You're lame."

"And you're rude," Betty told her son. "Apologize to your father and then go ask Sarah where she wants to go for dinner tonight."

"Sorry, Dad," Lucas muttered.

"Look your father in the eye when you say that and say it like you mean it."

Her son sighed before looking his father in the eye and saying, "I'm sorry, Dad."

"Apology accepted," Daniel replied. "Now go ask your older sister where she wants to go for dinner."

* * *

11.

The Meade family found themselves eating dinner at a small Italian restaurant near home that evening. It was loud and crazy but so much fun. Daniel had somehow gotten Lucas to agree to wear a button-down dress shirt with khakis. William, who had inherited his father's dapper sense of style, was wearing black dress pants and light blue dress shirt with a darker blue tie. And at twelve, Nikolas still wore what his father told him to wear and was wearing black pants with a red dress shirt. And the girls were wearing nice dresses; both Vivianna and Sarah were girly-girls who loved clothes and had their mother's job to help them keep their closets stocked with the best of the best. Sarah, at eighteen, was tall, dark, and gorgeous. Her father also had his eye on her like none other. He was determined to protect his daughters, his princesses, from men like his former self. To go on a date with Sarah, the guy had to pass an interview with Daniel. And even though she always complained about it, Sarah secretly liked the fact that her dad cared that much about her.

Vivianna was definitely a princess at age ten. She gave off the vibe of being mature and confident. But her favorite place in the world was her dad's lap even though Daniel and Betty were trying to remind her that she was getting too big for that. She wasn't as interested in dolls as she once had been and she loved to read and write; that was definitely from her mother. And she loved blues and purples, like her father. And she loved sitting at her dad's desk and bossing people around. Daniel was convinced that Vivianna would succeed him as president of Meade Publications. She loved visiting her dad at work and trying to help him do his job.

William was going to be a photographer, probably for Meade Publications simply because his father could get him a job at any magazine he wanted. He loved cameras and he had mastered PhotoShop at the age of nine. He was always taking pictures of everything from his sisters' feet to food to real family shots. He loved going around New York City and taking pictures of the real life of New York. He liked things that were real and authentic, much like his mother.

* * *

12.

One night, a few years later, Daniel came home to find the house in an uproar. It was nine o'clock and Betty was yelling at Lucas and Nik about some prank they'd tried to pull on Vivianna. And when he tried to talk to his wife after she had banished their sons to their respective bedrooms, all he got was "Your dinner is in the fridge. Heat it up for two minutes. I'm going to bed."

And after eating dinner, when he went to the room to get changed, Betty just glared at him. "You're sleeping on the couch tonight," she informed him.

"Is there any particular reason? Did I do something?" he asked.

"You know what you did."

"I'm sorry I was working late. I had a meeting in Boston and I got home as soon as I could. Traffic was horrible and I didn't mean to be so late."

"That's not why I'm mad. You know why I'm mad."

Daniel couldn't think of anything he'd done other than coming late to dinner. "No, Betty, I don't know why you're mad at me. Did I do something? Did I forget to do something?"

"You know what you did," she insisted.

"Betty, darling, you're being irrational. What is going on?"

"I'm not your darling," she barked back. Daniel Meade stood and looked at his wife of twenty-three years, honestly wondering what he had done.

"No, Betty, I don't know what I did. I'm not cheating on you. I didn't mean to be late for dinner. I didn't put Lucas and Nik up to whatever stunt they pulled tonight. I do not know what I did. So please, enlighten me. Why am I sleeping on the couch tonight?"

But his wife persisted in saying, "You know, Daniel. You know what you did. And what's worse is that you clearly don't know why it's wrong."

He sighed. "If you're not going to tell me, then I'm very sorry for whatever it is and I'll try to make it up to you. And if you need me, I'll be in the living room."

* * *

13.

But before going to the living room, Daniel went to Vivianna's room. His thirteen-year-old daughter was sitting on her bed reading a book when he knocked. "Hey, Dad," she said. "How was Boston? Did you see Sarah?"

"I did," he said, coming into the room and sitting down on her bed. "We had lunch together in between my meetings. She and Logan are coming down to visit in a couple of weeks for Mom's birthday. But they want it to be a surprise, so don't let her know."

His daughter smiled. "My lips are sealed. So what brings you here? You don't usually just pop into my room when you get back from a business trip."

He smiled. "I know. But I have a question for you."

"What's up?"

"Do you know why your mother is mad at me?"

"Grandpa Ignacio is in the hospital and she called you to tell you but you didn't answer your phone or call her or anything. Aunt Hilda is with him now. But Mom really wanted to talk to you about it."

"Oh shit," Daniel said.

"I'm telling Mom that you were swearing again."

"Vivianna Rosa, you know it was well-meant. Why is your grandfather in the hospital?"

"Heart attack," his daughter replied. "It wasn't really a huge surprise; Mom was more surprised that it didn't happen earlier. But she wanted to talk to you and you wouldn't answer your phone. And she left you messages and you didn't call her back."

Daniel pulled his cell phone out and saw that he had 10 missed calls from Betty along with seven new voice mails. He nodded and pressed his lips together. "Thanks, Vivi. I'm going to talk to your mom now."

"Any time," she said, picking her book back up.

Before leaving the room, he hugged his daughter and kissed the top of her head. "By the way, we still have a date on Saturday," he told her as he left the room. "You aren't going to stand me up."

She grinned. "I'll see you there, Mr. Meade."

"I know what I did," Daniel said walking into his bedroom and throwing his BlackBerry on the bed. "I'm very sorry. I silenced it during the meetings and forgot to turn it back on. I'm really sorry. And if you need me, I'll be on the couch."

Betty sat there in silence as her husband picked up his pillow and a book from his bedside table. At fifty-nine, Daniel's hair was completely silver and he wasn't interested in dying his hair just for appearances. His black-rimmed glasses had become a permanent fixture on his face. And he still had the tall, powerful, sturdy body that Betty had fallen in love with over twenty years earlier. "I'll go see Ignacio before I go to work tomorrow," he told her as he left the room. "Good-night, Betty."

* * *

14.

"You know he's sorry," Vivianna said walking into the room. "He always forgets to turn up his cell phone after a meeting."

Betty was playing the voice mails she'd left on her husband's cell phone, hearing her own voice getting angrier and more desperate. "You'll understand when you're older, Vivianna. I was alone and afraid and I needed your father. I needed him and I couldn't reach him. What would have happened if it had been a bigger emergency?"

"You could have called Sarah," her daughter replied. "He had lunch with her today and I bet she or Logan could have run over to wherever he was and given him the message. But you just called him."

"I haven't told Sarah yet," Betty said, hitting her head. "I haven't called her or Will yet."

"And yet you're pissed off at Dad for not calling you back. Did you call Justin like Aunt Hilda asked?"

Betty sighed. "So apparently Daniel wasn't the only one who made mistakes today."

"You might want to go tell him that."

Her mother rolled her eyes. "Vivianna, go to bed. I need to talk to your brother and sister."

"And my cousin," Vivianna reminded her mother. "And then please talk to Dad."

"Good night," Betty called after her daughter's retreating back.

* * *

15.

"Why are you on the couch?" Lucas Meade asked his father who was lying on the couch reading.

"Your mother is mad at me."

"She's mad at me too," his son replied sitting down in a chair near the couch.

"What did you do?"

"Nik and I stole a bunch of stuff from Vivianna's room and then left her ransom notes for it."

"Why did you do that?"

Lucas shrugged. "We were bored. And if you did stuff like that to Sarah, she reacted. But Vivianna just takes the ransom notes and shows them to you or Mom before throwing them away. She doesn't care as much."

"She knows what you're trying to do and she doesn't feel like letting you get away with it."

"But that's boring."

"Yeah and you're eighteen years old. So grow up. You're graduating from high school in June."

"Yeah and then Jack and I are going to start a band."

"Most people do that during high school and then start touring after high school."

"We need a drummer and a bassist."

Daniel sighed. "Good luck with that, I have no musical talents whatsoever."

"And you're a lame old man," Lucas added.

"You keep telling me that."

"That's only because it's true."

"I'm not arguing with you tonight."

"Then I'm going to get something from the fridge. I'll see you later."

* * *

16.

Daniel slept on the couch that night. And the next morning, he got up and showered and went to see his father-in-law before Betty got up. Before heading to work, he stopped back at the house and left his wife a bagel and a cup of coffee. Then he went to work before his wife was even in the kitchen to find her bagel and coffee waiting for her. And she started to cry. She knew that her husband had gone to see her father and was trying to take care of her in simple ways. "I called Amanda," his note said. "She'll cover for you if you want to go see your dad. Call her and let know when you're coming in. And call me if you want to have lunch together today. I love you, Daniel."

Betty called Amanda, who was her assistant, and told her she'd be at work around ten or ten-thirty. Then she went to the hospital to spend a few hours with her father. Ignacio was dying; that was plain. But he wanted his daughters to keep living their daily lives. And he wanted to see his grandchildren. So Betty called Daniel to talk to him about it. Before she really understood what was happening, her husband was at the hospital with all five of their children and he had arranged for a town car to pick up Justin when his plane from Los Angeles arrived. He did everything that needed to be done. He called Amanda and told her that Betty wouldn't be coming in that day. He talked to all the doctors and explained the family's wishes. Betty was sitting there talking to her dying father, watching her husband talk to doctors and nurses. He was being perfect.

Ignacio was able to see every one of his grandchildren. When he died that evening, Daniel was still taking care of everyone. He arranged for Justin and Hilda to get back to Hilda's apartment, which was where they wanted to be. He arranged for his wife and children to get back to their house. He took care of the funeral arrangements. And he kept going when they got home. Daniel made Betty eat something before putting her to bed and then he took his pillow and went back to the living room. Betty started sobbing as her husband walked out of the room. Her father had just died and now the most important man in her world was walking away from her because he thought she didn't want him around.

Around midnight, Betty gave up trying to sleep and went downstairs to the living room. Daniel wasn't asleep either; he was sitting there with his head propped on a pillow and reading a book. "I can't sleep," Betty said walking into the room.

"Logan's sleeping." Daniel looked up at her and motioned to Sarah's sleeping boyfriend on the other couch. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "No, I want you to come back upstairs and hold me. I need you, Daniel."

Her husband put the bookmark back in his book and stood up. His wife immediately grabbed his hand as he grabbed his pillow. Betty led Daniel up to their bedroom. "I'm afraid," she told him as he climbed into the bed.

"Why?"

"Are you going to leave me?"

"Why would I do that?"

Betty snuggled up against her husband's chest. "I'm a bitch. My daddy is dead and I'm a bitch to my husband."

"No, Betty, you had a right to be mad at me yesterday."

"You made a mistake; you forgot to turn on the volume on your phone. That wasn't worth sleeping on the couch."

"You'd had a rough day. I understand that. I remember when my dad died."

"How long does it take before it stops hurting?"

Daniel kissed the top of his wife's head. "It never goes away completely. You know that. There will always be a part of you that misses your dad."

"What would I have done without you today?"

"You'll never have to know that," he replied.

"But you did everything," Betty persisted. "You took care of us and you made sure everything happened. You made sure my dad got to see everyone. You flew Justin back from Los Angeles. You didn't have to do that."

"I loved your father. Ignacio was a better father to me than Bradford. And I was glad to do those things for him."

"You're too good for me."

He laughed. "There was a time when you were too good for me. And do you remember everything you did for me when my dad died? Or what about what you did when my mom was on trial? You've always been there for me."

"Daniel, don't ever leave me. I can't live without you. I can't sleep without you in this bed."

"I'm not going anywhere, Betty. I'm going to promise you that I'll be here as long as I can. I love you and I'm not leaving you or our children. You are my world."

"Why do you love me?"

"Because you're the best thing that has ever happened to me," he replied. "You love me and you take care of me and you make me want to be the best person I can possibly be. You've given me five amazing children even though I only wanted three or four. But I'm so glad we did that. I can't imagine what this world would be like without Nikolas or Vivianna. You've taught me what love is and how to love."

She snuggled up against his body and sighed. "You've been too good to me today."

"And you've been too good to me a million different times."

* * *

A/N: It's shorter than the other one. But I can keep doing more if people are interested.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. And I'm really amazed by the response I'm getting to these. But I'll keep going as long as people are interested. By request, I'm going to do a couple scenes from Daniel and Betty's earlier life.

* * *

17.

"Betty, go home," Daniel Meade told his assistant. "It's midnight and you haven't gone home before midnight all week." The pair had been frantically working to finish the latest (and their last) issue of _Mode_ after Alexis's surprise resignation and Wilhelmina's sudden sacking. Daniel was going to be, with his mother, co-president of Meade Publications. And Betty was going to be staying on as Daniel's assistant for a while but he was hoping for put her to work as a writer at one of Meade Publications' many publications in the very near future.

She shrugged. "I don't mind. There's no one waiting for me at home and there's nothing for me to do but sleep."

"And I've been depriving you of your sleep for the past week," he replied running his hand through his hair and noting that he could probably use a haircut.

Betty threw away the empty cartons from the Chinese take-out they'd eaten a few hours earlier that were scattered around Daniel's desk. "Daniel, if I go home, then you're going home too."

He shook his head. "I have to finish this before Monday."

"All right, take everything to your apartment and I'll come over tomorrow and we can work on it together. But right now, if I'm leaving, then so are you."

"Tomorrow's Saturday. I don't pay you to work Saturdays."

"You can feed me. And I'd be doing it as your friend, not your assistant."

"Okay," he sighed.

"Now call Martin about the car and I'll see at your apartment tomorrow morning at ten."

"How are you getting home?"

"Subway," she replied simply. "I always take the subway."

"No," he said firmly as he put the things in boxes to take home with him. "You're not taking the subway home alone at this hour. I'll have Martin drop you off when he takes me home."

"Daniel, you live five minutes from here; I live twenty. That's too much for Martin to do at this hour of the night."

He sighed. "I'm not letting you take the subway home alone at this hour of the night. You can spend the night at my apartment if that's easier."

"But I don't have any other clothes to wear tomorrow or anything to sleep in."

"Betty, I can loan you clothes to sleep in." He sighed and threw up his hands. "Or I could spend the night on your couch and then we could both come back to my apartment in the morning together. Please agree to something; I just really don't want you taking the subway alone. I'm worried about you."

"Fine, Martin can drop me off after he drops you off," she told him. "But let's just get going. We both need sleep."

* * *

18.

The next morning, Betty arrived at Daniel's apartment promptly at ten o'clock to find the things from the night before spread out all over the table and her boss sitting at the table pouring over them. She offered him the bagel and coffee she'd brought him and asked, "Did you sleep last night?"

After taking the bagel and coffee from her, he rubbed his eyes and nodded. "I woke up around seven and got back to work. We need to get this done and the sooner, the better. I can't have you throwing your Saturday away on this. You need to do something fun. You look too cute today for you to not do something fun."

Looking at her jeans and dark pink blouse that Christina had picked out for her a few months earlier, she rolled her eyes. "Jesse and I broke up ages ago. Christina and Stuart went away for the weekend. My sister is off with her boyfriend for the weekend. What the heck am I supposed to do? I could watch _High School Musical_ with Justin and listen to him analyze it for the fiftieth time."

Daniel laughed. "Or you could do something with me."

"Like what?"

He shrugged. "We could crash weddings and then find ourselves on the bridge at three or five in the morning again."

"We've done that before," Betty replied with a laugh.

"True," he replied. "But it was fun."

"Yeah but I don't feel like doing that again."

"Well what do you feel like doing?"

"Let's finish the issue," she said. "And then we can figure out what time it is and what we want to do then."

"I'm game," he replied.

* * *

19.

Seven hours later, the issue was finished and Betty was sitting on Daniel's couch and criticizing his apartment. "This place needs more character. You need pictures of family or something. And books and movies, you need bookshelves filled with books and stuff."

"I don't read," he told her.

"Well, I do. I could tell you what to read and then you could buy them. And then you would add character to this place." She bit her lip and looked around. "And plants, you really need plants. This place is so drab and boring. It needs light and color and life. This is such a bachelor pad."

Daniel looked at his assistant. "Betty, I am a bachelor."

"How old are you? You're in your mid-thirties. You need to get married."

He laughed. "Until about a year ago I was considered one of New York's most notorious playboys. I'm not sure many women would really want to marry me and live with me for the rest of their lives."

She shrugged. "I don't know. I know you pretty well and I think you'd be a good husband and father. You're a lot more sensitive than you let on. Like last night, you were being really protective of me and concerned about me. That's a really good trait in a guy. A lot of girls would love to date a guy who actually gave a crap about them and their safety."

"Would you date me?" he asked without really thinking about what he was saying. "Like, if I asked you out, would you go out with me?"

"Yeah," Betty replied, again without really thinking about the ramifications of what she was saying. "You're a great guy. I really like you and I love spending time with you. And you're fun. You just need a woman to redecorate your apartment."

"So if I asked you out on a date right now," Daniel said as things started clicking together in his brain. "Would you say yes?"

Betty looked at him with her mouth just hanging open. "Is this hypothetical or something that you actually want to do?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm asking you out right now. Will you go out to dinner with me tonight and then we can watch a movie or something?"

"Is this a date?"

He nodded. "You're my best friend, and while I don't want to screw that up, I really like you and respect you. But at some point over the past few years, I realized that I'm very attracted to you."

"I don't know what to say to that," Betty told him.

"You can say that you'll go out to dinner with me and just see what happens."

She smiled. "I can do that."

* * *

20.

_And Donal said, "Dude, let's get married." And I said, "Man, that's a great idea." So we lied to our girlfriends about where we were going and went out together to buy engagement rings. _

_-An anonymous best man's toast_

Two years later, Betty Suarez was pretty sure she was losing her mind. She had succeeded in redecorating her boyfriend's apartment and office. Daniel Meade now owned five plants, ten bookshelves, and dozens of books and movies that his girlfriend approved. There were pictures of people who mattered to him hanging around the apartment along with various prints of art that he liked. Betty had moved in with Daniel about a year earlier and had managed to teach him how to cook. Recently he had been dropping hints about marriage. And then one Saturday morning, he left their apartment after breakfast saying he had something that needed to be done and he'd be back later. Now, over eight hours later, he wasn't back and she was getting worried. He wasn't answering his cell phone and no one she called knew where he was. Becks suggested looking in strip clubs, which she didn't find funny. Ignacio said he hadn't seen him in a while. Claire had no idea where her son might be. She was considering going over to Meade Publications to see if he was working on a Saturday but when she called his office phone, it went to voice mail.

She knew that he had inherited his father's heart problems. What if he had a heart attack and was now dying alone in his office or on some bench in Central Park? If he died, she would be alone and she wouldn't know what to do. She would have to move out of this apartment and imagine a life without Daniel. She loved him too much to even consider doing that. She didn't want to imagine her boyfriend dead. So she dialed his cell phone number again. "You are impossible," he said when he answered the phone on the fourth ring. "I'll be home in fifteen minutes."

"I thought you were dead," she said.

"Oh, Betty," he sighed. "I'm sorry. I was taking care of something and I left my phone in the car. But I'm on my way home now."

Fifteen minutes later, Daniel Meade walked into his apartment and immediately found his girlfriend jumping on him. "You bastard!" she screamed, pounding her small fists against his powerful chest. "I was so afraid. I had images of you having a heart attack and dying in your office or in Central Park. And you were all alone and then I was alone and I had to live with my dad again."

"Whoa, Betty, I was only gone for eight hours," he said, grabbing a hold of her small body. "I'm sorry. But I had to talk to a few people. And I left my phone in the car. And then I had to pick something up. But I'm here now. And I'm not dead in my office or Central Park. I'm right here and I'm sorry."

"Don't die on me," she told him firmly.

He smiled as he put her back down. "I don't plan on it. I'm not leaving you alone ever. But I have a question for you and if you answer correctly, you get a prize. Now this wasn't how I was planning on doing this but go sit on the couch."

Betty knew what was coming and, with knocking knees, sat down on the couch. Then Daniel got down on one knee and took a deep breath. "I love you, Betty Suarez. You've brought life into my world and you make me a better man. And I don't ever want to lose you or let you go. I need you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Will you promise me that you'll stay with me forever and never leave me?" He took another deep breath and bit his lower lip before saying, "Will you make me the luckiest and happiest man alive and agree to marry me? Will you please?"

She nodded with tears sliding down her cheeks. "Yes, Daniel," she whispered. "I'll marry you."

He took a small velvet box out of his pocket and opened it. He took out a simple white gold band with three diamonds arranged in a simple but elegant setting and slid it onto her left ring finger. "I love you," he said, pulling her down into his arms and kissing her. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," she replied. "But who did you need to talk to?"

"First, I went to talk to your dad and ask him for permission to marry you. He must really like me because he didn't even offer to kill me, let alone threaten me. And then I went to your mom's grave and tell her what I was going to do. I figured that even though I never met her, I should let her know what I was doing and I left pink roses on her grave. After that, I had lunch with my mom and told her what I was going to do. She loves you and could never have any problem with us. I think she thinks you the best thing that's ever happened to me and wants you in this family. She'd probably adopt you if I didn't marry you. Next, I went to my dad's grave to tell him what I was doing. He hired you and I think he would be shocked to see us together. But he really was the one who brought us together. We wouldn't be here without him. And then I went to Tiffany's to pick up your ring. I ordered it weeks ago but it was specially made for you, so it took a while. And then I had been planning on taking you out to dinner tonight at the restaurant where we went on our first date and then we were going to go for a walk to the George Washington Bridge and I was going to ask you to marry me there. But then I got the fifteen voice mails from you and when you threatened to kill me if I wasn't dead, I figured I should just come and propose to you here and now."

"Wow," she breathed. "Can we still go out for dinner and go for that walk?"

He nodded. "I think that would be a good way to celebrate."

"Daniel Meade, you are an amazing man and I love you."

He kissed her again. "We have reservations for seven-thirty at Salvatore's. And I expect you to look absolutely amazing."

"Now I have to plan a wedding and buy a wedding dress," Betty said with a smile before kissing Daniel again.

* * *

21.

One thing Daniel Meade did not enjoy about being the president of Meade Publications was the fact that Sofia Reyes was still Editor in Chief of _MYW_. Although he only had to interact with her four or six times per year, that was far too much in his opinion. Seeing her once a year would have been more than enough for him. But since his marriage, Daniel had become a bit less fearful or anxious about these encounters. Sofia was single; he was married. He, the notorious playboy, had married and settled down while she was still as callous and manipulative as she'd been when she revealed that she'd been trying to get him to fall in love with her for an article in her precious magazine-on national television. Betty had been more successful at avoiding Sofia before she left _Mode_ after Sarah was born. They worked on different floors and had no reason to see each other. But Daniel periodically had to meet with his editors.

And then, shortly after Lucas was born, Daniel found himself needing to meet with Sofia after she lost her magazine's three largest advertisers in less than six months. And he needed to meet with her to discuss reevaluating _MYW_ and its budget. He wasn't looking forward to it but it had to be done. And that meeting happened to be on a day when he knew Betty coming to see him and bringing their children with her. So when Sofia came into his office, Amanda stuck her head into the office to remind him that Betty and the kids would be there in half an hour.

"So you found someone who would marry you," Sofia said as she sat down.

He looked her over from head to toe. She was wearing a revealing, low-cut blouse and a shorter than normal skirt; she was trying to seduce him into giving him what she wanted. "Hello, Sofia, and yes, I found a woman whom I love more than myself," he replied. "And we have a beautiful life together with three wonderful children."

She picked up a picture frame from his desk that held a photo of Sarah tentatively holding a newborn Lucas in her arms while Will eagerly looked over her shoulder at the baby. "They're cute."

He reached across his desk and took the picture back, smiling as he saw his adorable children. "They are amazing."

"So you married your assistant."

"You lost your three biggest advertisers in the past six months and you're having trouble finding new ones," he said, wanting to get the meeting back on track and over as quickly as possible.

"People don't seem as interested in _MYW_ right now. Advertisers think that modern, young women have become too liberated and too liberal with their lives in their current economic situation. And it's difficult to find the right advertisers who are interested in my clientele and who I wanted advertising in my magazine. I have to have my principles, you know."

"And you want me to give you more money," he replied while internally rolling his eyes at the comment about having principles.

"You're making this all very simple," Sofia protested. "I'd prefer to explain this to you and why it is happening, not have you make everything so simple."

"My wife and children will be here in twenty minutes. I'd like to get this meeting over so I can see them and spend time with them."

"I'm losing money and I'm looking at having to cut sections out of the magazine. I don't want to do that. My readers have come to expect something out of _MYW_. I don't want them to lose what they expect out of a quality magazine from Meade Publications."

"This magazine was my father's idea," Daniel told her. "I am not my father; I'm very different from Bradford. I'm not going to shut your magazine down but I want you to meet with accounting about how to conserve your budget and where you can make cutbacks without losing quality. But remember, Sofia; I was once a magazine editor and I learned something while I was at _Mode_. It's all about quality, not quantity. Don't throw money at making something bigger; spend time on making things better."

Just then, the door to the office opened and then closed shortly thereafter. "Daddy, can we play now?" a small voice asked.

Daniel looked over at the door to see his two-year-old son, William, walking towards him. "Just a moment, Ms. Reyes," he said. He got up and walked over to William. "Ms. Reyes, I'd like to introduce you to my son, William. Will, this is Ms. Reyes."

Sofia smiled at the little boy as Daniel picked him up and carried him back to his desk. "He looks just like you," she said.

"That's what Betty always says," Daniel replied, settling his son in his lap. "My mom said that the day he was born."

"Daddy, can we play now?" William asked again. "I wanted to play with you. Grandma Claire has Baby and Mamma took Sarah to see the clothes lady."

"Soon, Will, I promise," his father replied. "I need to finish up my meeting with Ms. Reyes. Do you want to go talk to Miss Amanda? I bet she has candy for you."

"No, I want you."

Daniel smiled and stroked his son's head. "So, if you can find ways to focus on quality, not quantity, I would bet you would be able to get more advertisers. And talk to the guys in accounting; I'm sure that they would be more than willing to help you."

Sofia looked at him. He had changed; he still wore the same designer three-piece suits but he wasn't the man she had met eleven years earlier. That Daniel Meade wouldn't have had pictures of his wife and family on his desk and let his little son interrupt his meetings. This Daniel Meade was a husband and father before he was anything else. "Didn't Betty date a guy in accounting for a while?" she asked.

He nodded. "Henry Grubstick left Meade Publications several years ago. And Betty is with me now; we've been married for six years now. Don't try to mess with me, Sofia. I know your tricks and I'm not interested in you. I'm not going to play your games or fall in your holes. I have three wonderful children and an amazing wife."

Amanda opened the door and stuck her head in. "I hate to interrupt but Sarah is here looking for Daddy. Can she come in?"

"Please?" Sarah's head of dark brown hair popped around the door with an eager, pleading face.

Daniel laughed and nodded. "Come right on in, honey." As his daughter ran to him and scrambled into his lap, he turned and looked at Sofia. "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

She shook her head. "You've changed a lot, Daniel Meade."

He kissed Sarah's head as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Bye-bye!" Will said as Sofia stood up.

Daniel smiled. "I'm a father," he told her. "It changed everything."

"Betty is going to want a picture of that," Amanda remarked, observing her boss with his two older children.

"Then get your camera," he replied as Sarah kissed his cheek.

His assistant laughed and did as he suggested while Sofia left. Amanda had grown closer to Daniel and come to like him and Betty especially after their children were born. She always had candy in her desk for Sarah and Will and they both adored "Miss Amanda." On Daniel's desk was a picture she had taken of him and his children on a previous visit to his office. William was in his father's arms and Sarah was on his back. Daniel was laughing and Sarah was kissing his cheek. His suit was rumpled and he was tickling William. It was perfect because it wasn't. It sat next to a picture a professional photographer had taken of the Meade family after Lucas was born. Betty was seated on a bed with Lucas in her arms. Daniel was kneeling behind her looking over her shoulder while holding William with one arm and wrapping the other arm around his wife and Sarah who was standing next to her mother with one arm wrapped around her mother's shoulder and her other hand was stroking her baby brother's foot. It was black and white and beautiful in its simplicity. But the picture next to it showed more emotions.

* * *

22.

"I had a meeting with Sofia today," Daniel told his wife that night when they were in their room and she was feeding Lucas.

"I heard," she replied. "How is she?"

He shrugged, stroking Lucas's little foot. "She's Sofia. I'm not sure she expected me to be where I am now."

"Darling, I didn't expect you to be here when I met you. The man I met eleven years ago never would have married Betty Suarez or had three children with her. Look at those pictures on your desk sometime. The Daniel Meade I met never would be in those pictures. He wouldn't have gotten married and had children. He wouldn't have pictures of his children on his desk, if he did have children. And if he got married, he would have one or two pictures of his supermodel wife in suggestive poses on his desk. You have a picture from our wedding and then pictures of us with our children."

"I grew up," he replied. "That was what stunned Sofia. My children were more important to me than work. And that's never something that would have happened before. And that's not the way my father was at all. Bradford put work and women above everything else, especially family. He never would have let us interrupt meetings the way I let Will and Sarah."

"But he did love you. He loved your mother despite his infidelities. He loved you; remember that his dying wish was for me to take care of you."

Daniel smiled. "I think he knew something that the rest of us didn't."

"Love was made for me and you," she replied before looking down at Lucas. "You, sir, will be drinking out of a bottle as soon as you get teeth. So stop trying to bite me."

"Sometimes I wonder if I'm more jealous of him or of you when you feed him."

Betty looked up at her husband. "What do you mean?"

"You get to feed him in this incredibly intimate way and you get to bond with him. But then he gets to nurse on your breasts."

She rolled her eyes. "At heart, you're still the same Daniel Meade Playboy that you were when I met you. You just want to play with my boobs."

"And love you for your body and your mind," he told her. "And you're the mother of my children. And you make amazing food. And if you would ever come back to _Mode_, you're an amazing writer and editor."

"Shut up and take off your shirt. It might make me like you more."

* * *

23.

Nikolas Daniel Meade was probably the most active of his siblings. Even before he was born, his mother was convinced he wanted to be a soccer player. "All he does is kick me," she told Daniel one day when she was dropping off a freelance article she'd written for _Hot Flash_ at her mother-in-law's request. After dropping off the article, she'd gone up to her husband's office to talk to him and rescue him from their children. "I'm pretty sure this baby thinks that my bladder is a soccer ball."

Daniel kissed her. "I'll give you a foot massage when I get home. And you're due soon."

"Not soon enough," she replied. "If I went into labor now, I'd be happy. I can't wait two more weeks to get this kid out of me. My back is killing me and I'm just so tired all the time. I'd rather wake up to a screaming baby at three in the morning than look like a whale much longer."

"You don't look like a whale," he told her. "You're gorgeous."

"Well, I feel like a beached whale."

He kissed her cheek. "I'll give you a foot massage and a back rub when I get home. And I'm pretty sure that we can dump the rest of the kids off on my mom this weekend if that would help you."

"Mommy, you're leaking," Sarah said from her father's chair where she was spinning around.

"Oh shit," Betty muttered. "Daniel, call your mom and ask her to watch the kids. This one isn't going to wait any longer. Call my doctor and get me to the hospital."

* * *

24.

Less than two hours later, Nikolas Meade had made his grand entrance into the world. He had been ten pounds of screaming baby boy Meade but looked all Suarez. Out of all the Meade children, he looked the most Mexican. He had the darkest skin, hair, and eyes. He was also the biggest of the Meade children. He had been ten pounds, seven ounces and twenty-three inches long. "Daniel wasn't even that big," Claire had remarked on meeting her newborn grandson. "I don't know how you did that, Betty dear."

Betty smiled looking at the baby in her arms. "I think I broke Daniel's hand."

Her husband shook his head. "No, but I am deaf from all the screaming. I'm not sure who screams louder, Nikolas or his mother."

"When you've given birth to a baby that big, you can complain. Until then, shut up and enjoy the baby."

Daniel smiled. "He is a beautiful baby."

"He's perfect," Betty said, stroking her son's little hands.

"Can we play with him?" William asked.

His father laughed. "Not yet, buddy, you've got to let him get a little bigger."

"He's a baby," six-year-old Sarah remarked. "All they do is eat, sleep, and poop."

"Then why did we get one?" her four-year-old brother asked.

"Because Mommy and I love this baby," Daniel replied.

"Doll?" two-year-old Lucas asked his father. "Can I play with the doll?"

"It's not a doll, sweetie," Betty told her son.

"I want to play!"

Claire Meade took her grandson from his father's arms. "Lucas, you and I can go play together someplace. Do you want to play trucks?"

"I like trucks!"

"That's perfect," she told him as she took him out of the room. "I happen to have some trucks at my house that need to be played with. Can you help me?"

"She's taking care of the kids until you come back home," Daniel told his wife.

Betty smiled. "She's a fantastic grandmother."

"And your dad is stocking up our freezer until you're ready to cook again."

"I thought I taught you how to cook."

"We have four children to take care of and you're out of commission for a week or so," her husband said. "And I'm supposed to be at work for at least four or five hours a day. When am I supposed to find time to cook?"

"You have a point there, Mr. Meade."

"So are you going to sign Nikolas up for soccer now?" Sarah asked her mother, climbing up on the bed.

"We'll give a little time to grow. He can wait until he's Lucas's age."

* * *

25.

That December, Betty and Daniel decided to take a family portrait to send out with Christmas cards. They just wanted to do something simple, so they asked Becks to help out by doing something at their house. Unfortunately, dealing with four children under the age of seven was never simple. Nikolas, who was three months old, decided that he was hungry just when Daniel and Betty had gotten his three older siblings organized. Something that should have taken an hour at most ended up taking five hours. "I'm so glad I'm not the marriage and kids type," Becks told Daniel at one point when Sarah was chasing William around the living room because he had accidentally stepped on her foot.

Daniel looked over at Betty who was breast-feeding Nikolas nearby and smiled as he adjusted Lucas on his hip. "Hold that thought," Becks said, grabbing his camera and taking a picture of Daniel, Lucas, Betty, and Nikolas. The finished product was a black and white picture of Betty and Nikolas in an artistic modern Madonna and Child with Daniel and Lucas looking at them in adoration and longing.

"That is amazing," Becks told his friend. "And that is one part of marriage and family life that I could handle. That is sexy."

Daniel smiled as Lucas said, "Daddy, I feel stinky."

"I've got to handle this one," Daniel told his friend. "But I'll be back in a couple."

"Now, that's one part of marriage that I couldn't handle," Becks muttered as Daniel walked away. "Keep me off the diaper duty list."

Betty smiled. "It's not that bad. Okay it smells horrific, but by the time they're Lucas's age, they're pretty good about telling you when they need a diaper change or whatever. We're actually working on potty-training him."

"But it's so gross."

Betty laughed as she put Nikolas in his bouncy seat and readjusted her clothes. "It's poop and pee; you do it too, Becks."

"Yeah but I'm a big boy and I can wipe my own ass."

She rolled her eyes as she picked her baby back up so she could burp him. "I'm so proud of you."

Sarah and William ran back into the room. "Mommy, William stepped on my foot."

"Will, tell your sister that you're sorry and give her a hug and a kiss."

"But, Mommy, it was an accident!"

"Just do it," his mother barked. "I want to take this picture today, not next year."

"I'm sorry, Sarah," William said before giving his sister a hug and kiss.

Becks took a picture of that and Betty smiled. "You have to admit that they're adorable," she said.

He nodded. "But I prefer visiting to having my own kids. I like coming over and taking pictures of your kids rather than living with them."

"Mommy, can I hold Nikolas?" Sarah asked.

"Sit on the couch," Betty instructed her daughter. When Sarah was settled, Betty handed the baby to her daughter. "Now be very careful."

William clambered up into his mom's lap to look at his baby brother and Becks took another picture of Betty with three of her four children. "Do I have to pay you for all of these?" she asked.

He laughed. "No, these are your Christmas present from me to your family."

* * *

26.

The final Christmas family photo was of the Meade family sitting in front of the Christmas tree. Daniel was holding Lucas while Betty held Nikolas. William was standing by his mother, leaning against her shoulder while Sarah leaned against Daniel who had one arm wrapped around her shoulders. "You guys are too damn photogenic, Becks told Betty and Daniel that evening after the kids went to bed and they were looking at the pictures on his laptop. "Some of these shots are just amazing."

He had pictures of Betty and their children and of Daniel with the kids. He had a couple of really great ones of just the kids and others of Betty and Daniel individually with each child. And then he had a few that were just Betty and Daniel. "That one is my favorite," Daniel said, pointing to a picture of him standing behind his wife with his arms wrapped around her waist. She was looking up at him and he was kissing her forehead.

"I like that one too," Betty commented. "But I think my favorite is the one of the two of us facing each other and you're holding me and I have my eyes closed."

"You look so happy," Becks said. "And Daniel just looks like a schoolboy with his first crush."

Daniel smiled and pulled his wife closer against his chest. "I like her a lot. She's pretty much amazing."

Betty smiled and snuggled up against her husband's chest. "I kind of like you too."

"Good, because I think there was something in our wedding vows about until death do us part or something weird like that," he told her.

Becks pulled out his camera again and took a picture of his friends. "I should just publish a coffee table book that is just of pictures of your family."

"You aren't publishing pictures of my family anywhere," Daniel said, Papa Lion suddenly coming out in all of his ferocity. "It's bad enough that Betty and I have to be famous; I don't want to publish pictures of my kids. I don't care if the money goes to charity. They're my kids, not models."

Becks put his hands up in the air as if surrendering. "I'm sorry. I was just kidding; I'm not really going to do it at all."

Papa Lion nodded. "I just need to protect my family."

* * *

A/N: Please review! I hope you guys liked it.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I really do not own _Ugly Betty_. But I really love and appreciate reviews. I also am willing to consider people's suggestions for episodes I could do. I've done a bit of that here but I'll try to do more if I get more requests. Also, someone asked why William called Christina "the clothes lady." He was two years old and he couldn't Christina; I do intend for the Meade kids to call her Aunt Christina or Miss Christina. But I know a girl named Christina who couldn't say her own name until she was about five.

* * *

Also, Daniel Jr. doesn't exist in the universe of this particular story.

* * *

27.

"I'm getting married today," Betty Suarez told herself as she stared in the mirror. She was in the church bride's room with Claire and Alexis Meade, Christina, and Hilda. Christina was her bridesmaid and Hilda was her maid of honor. Beckett Scott was Daniel's best man and Alexis wore a suit and was Daniel's "groom's-person."

"Are you ready for this?" Hilda asked her, squeezing her arm. "Papi is so proud of you and so am I."

Betty smiled and adjusted her necklace. "I'm about to become Mrs. Daniel Meade."

"You really love him, don't you?" Alexis asked.

The bride nodded. "I feel like I'm going to explode from happiness. I get to marry Daniel Meade."

Claire kissed her son's fiancée's cheek. "He is an unbelievably lucky young man and we're so glad you're joining our family."

"Even though you've basically been a part since you moved into Daniel's apartment two years ago," Alexis remarked.

"She's just jealous," Claire whispered in Betty's ear.

"I wish my mom could be here today," Betty said. She looked at her sister. "I think Mom would like Daniel."

"She would love him," Hilda told her younger sister.

Christina laughed. "How could anyone not love a man like him?"

"But I win. I get to marry him and spend forever with him."

There was a knock on the door and Justin stuck his head in. "Are you ladies ready?"

"Are you ready, Betty?" Christina asked as she picked up the bride's bouquet.

"Are you kidding?" Hilda asked. "All she's wanted to do for the past year is marry him. She wanted Daniel-colored bridesmaids' dresses and Daniel-flowers. She was threatening to elope for the past month and half."

"I just want to marry Daniel," Betty laughed. "I'm ready."

Justin walked into the room and hugged his aunt. "It's show time, Aunt Betty. You're going to marry Daniel."

"Finally," the bride sighed.

Betty walked out of the room to see Ignacio waiting for her. There were tears in his eyes as he took his younger daughter's arm. "I'm so proud of you," he told her.

"I'm going to marry Daniel Meade," she told him. "And I was hired to not sleep with him."

Her father laughed and a tear rolled down Betty's cheek. As Pachelbel's Canon in D started playing, he squeezed his daughter's hand. "Are you ready?"

She nodded as she looked down the aisle and saw Daniel waiting for her at the end. He was smiling eagerly and his blue eyes were brighter than ever. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

With that they stepped into the church and Betty began her last walk as Betty Suarez. She was about to become Betty Suarez-Meade. Oh sure she'd been living with Daniel for the past two years but now she was agreeing to "until death do us part." They were getting married and they were going to make this marriage last forever. Her engagement ring and both of their wedding rings, she had learned, were made from Bradford's wedding ring and Claire's wedding and engagement rings. "My parents' marriage failed and I want this ring to symbolize the fact that ours will not," Daniel had told her. "As corny as it sounds, our live is like this circle; it will not end."

When Ignacio handed Betty over to Daniel, he shook his hand and said, "She's your responsibility. Love her and protect her more than anything else in the world."

Daniel had nodded seriously. "I'll protect her with my life."

Betty and Daniel had decided to get married in a Catholic church out of respect for their families. As Daniel began reciting his vows, Betty started crying. He was promising his life to her. And she was making the same promise, the same offering of self. Love really was the greatest thing in the world. It really did conquer all. It had brought Betty from the Bronx together with Daniel "Born with a Silver Spoon in His Mouth" Meade together. The humble secretary and the poor little rich boy had fallen in love and had saved each other from themselves. And now they were getting married. Daniel squeezed her hand as he saw tears on her cheeks. And she managed to make it through the rest of the wedding without completely losing it.

* * *

28.

"We're married," Daniel said as they sat in the limo after the wedding on their way to the reception.

Betty smiled and leaned against his chest. "I'm Mrs. Daniel Meade."

"Isn't it an amazing name?"

"I love you, Daniel."

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Ms. Suarez-Meade."

"Mrs. Meade," she replied. "I'm only using Suarez-Meade in my professional life."

"I love you, Mrs. Betty Meade."

"That sounds wonderful."

"I'm so glad I married you," he said. "You're really the best thing that's ever happened to me. I don't know how I ever lived without you."

She smiled up at him. "You really are a wonderful man."

"I still think you're a better person that me."

Betty sighed. "Daniel, you have one weird ego. You might be one of the most conceited men I know but you think that I'm a better person than you are."

* * *

29.

For their honeymoon, the newlyweds went to Italy for two weeks. Daniel had visited so many big cities in Europe on _Mode_ business but he had only really ever seen the parts of these cities directly related to the fashion industry. Betty had once been offered the chance to Rome and turned it down and therefore wanted to see that famous city. And she, like Daniel, had seen Milan and Paris and Madrid for fashion shows. But she wanted to see the real parts of these cities, not just the parts that were accentuated during fashion shows or for tourists. She wanted to go to Rome and do everything that Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck had done in _Roman Holiday_. Daniel wanted to spend time with his new wife and find an adventure with her. "I want to see the world," Betty told her husband as they were flying across the Atlantic.

"Well, I'm going to show you Italy," he replied. "Does that help?"

She smiled and leaned against his chest. "It's a good beginning. Rome, Venice, Verona, Milan, Florence," she sighed. "It all sounds so glamorous and beautiful. You know most girls want to marry rich men. I never wanted that but I'm glad I got it."

Daniel laughed. "So you did marry me for my money."

"And your amazing body," she added. "Don't forget that; I'm a fan of your body."

He shook his head. "You are ridiculous, Betty Suarez-Meade. I'm just glad I somehow got you to marry me. Now I can keep you forever and love you and protect you and take care of you. It's going to be an amazing life."

* * *

30.

Betty and Daniel had two amazing and perfect weeks in Italy. They saw museums, churches, parks, hotels, and restaurants. They spent time together and just enjoyed being together. Betty even convinced Daniel to take three days to go to Southern France. "We're in Europe," she told him. "Let's see it. I know we planned on just Italy but I want to see France; I've only ever seen Paris when we go there for fashion shows and other work business."

"My parents used to have a house in the south of France," he told her.

"Then what happened?"

He shrugged. "When I was about nine or ten, they sold it. They never really explained why. They were probably having money issues or something. I know that's why _Mode_ is in my mom's name rather than my dad's."

"But we could stay at a hotel or a resort. You're a Meade."

"Oh, now you want to use the family name to get places. You're turning into a fancy spoiled brat, Mrs. Meade."

"No, I just want to go to France; and if all else fails, we can use the family name."

He laughed and kissed his wife. "We'll go to France and drink wine and have a wildly beautiful time."

* * *

31.

"Do you realize that I'm old enough to be my half-sister's father," Daniel announced walking into his wife's office one day a few months after their wedding.

"You've known that since she was born; you were in your thirties when she was born."

He sighed and sat down on her desk. "Yes, I know that. But it's weird when Wili brings Talia to visit and remind her that one day all of this will be hers. We need to have lots of children so she can't inherit as much."

Betty smiled at her husband. "I'll keep that in mind. But we don't have any children so we might want to get going on that."

"I'm not quite ready for children," he replied. "But soon, I promise. And then we'll have enough kids to cut Talia out of Meade Publications."

"I think you want to cut her mother out. I think you sort of like your younger sister."

He shrugged. "She's really cute and pretty sweet."

"I knew you liked her. You give her candy when she comes to visit."

"But only when Wili isn't looking," he replied with a smile. "She doesn't want her daughter to have any sweets."

"She can get over herself."

Betty smiled. "Don't say that in front of Talia. It's not something a supportive older brother would say."

"You're so bossy and particular, Mrs. Meade."

"That's my job," she replied.

"Why did I marry you?"

She grabbed his tie and pulled his face closer to hers. "Because you love me and you never want to let me go, and you know that you can't live without me."

Daniel hopped off the desk and onto his wife's lap. Then he kissed her. "You are my world," he said. "Now let's go out to lunch. I'm starving and I have a meeting at one-thirty."

"You're sitting on top of me."

He jumped up. "Now I'm not. Please stand up, Mrs. Meade."

"Only if you help me up," she told him. Daniel held out his hand and Betty took her husband's extended hand and he pulled her to her feet. Then he handed her coat to her.

"Are you ready, dear?" he asked.

She smiled. "I am. Where are you taking me?"

"Give me your hand," he said. "First we're going downstairs to get in the car and then we're going someplace with amazing food."

"All right but I have a one-fifteen meeting."

"We have an hour; we need to get going."

"Or we could just eat here in the cafeteria and go out another day," she suggested.

Daniel sighed. "But I had plans. We were going to go to Central Park for a picnic. It was going to be a romantic surprise for you."

"It looks like it's going to rain and I have a meeting in an hour. You can put the food in the fridge and we'll have the picnic another time."

"But there are so many people in the cafeteria and I just want some quiet time with my wife."

"You'll see me at home tonight."

"You'll be editing articles," he replied, sitting down in her chair. "I miss being in Italy and just spending hours on end with you. I loved that; we talked all the time. I just spent time with you and loved you and it was perfect. But now we're back at work and you're always busy and I'm busy and we don't have time for each other. We're both busy and I don't like that. I want time with my wife."

"I can't cancel this meeting today," Betty said as she took off her coat. "It's with an advertiser and you know how important those meetings are."

He nodded. "I'm not asking you to cancel this meeting. I have meetings with a couple of editors this afternoon. What I want is this; I want time with my wife. When do I get that?"

She shrugged. "I'm booked every day this week. I have lunch meetings for the rest of the week and most of the months."

"What do your weekends look like?'

Betty took out her BlackBerry and started flipping through it. "Two weeks from this Friday, I'm completely free after eleven-thirty. And then the whole weekend after that is open."

"We're going away for the weekend," he said.

"Where are we going?"

Daniel shrugged. "I'll figure it out and get back to you when I'm sure. Maybe we'll go to my mom's cottage in Martha's Vineyard."

"Daniel, it is November; that's the weekend before Thanksgiving. That will be cold."

"We could go to Florida or South Carolina," he suggested.

"But that's too far for one weekend. We'd spend too much time in transit."

Daniel stared intently at his wife's desk. "Maybe we'll just go to New Jersey or Boston."

"We just need to go somewhere with a hotel and restaurants," Betty told him. "Daniel, we could go on vacation here in the city. We just need to get away from work and spend some time together."

"Do you want to me to get us a hotel room at the Plaza?"

Betty shrugged. "Sure, now I have a meeting in about half an hour, so I'm going to run and eat before I completely miss lunch."

"I'll come with you," he told her, jumping up from her chair. "And we're going to spend a weekend together without any work or outside stress."

* * *

32.

After that, Betty and Daniel started making sure to go out on dates every few weeks. And every three or four months, they went away for the weekend. Sometimes it was just going to a hotel in New York and spending a weekend alone. Other times, they actually went someplace. Memorial Day weekend they went to Martha's Vineyard. Fourth of July weekend they both took a week off from work and they went to upstate New York. Sarah Claire Meade was born about nine months after that. And then Betty stopped working to focus more on raising her daughter. "I'll write freelance articles if editors want but I'm not going to work a job that demands forty or more hours a week when I could be raising my daughter," she told Daniel shortly before Sarah was born. "There are enough problems in your family. I don't want this baby to end up in therapy like the rest of you."

"I just don't want you to feel like you have to do this. If we wanted, we could afford nannies galore."

"I don't want my children raised by a nanny," she replied. "My mom raised her children and I'm going to raise mine."

He nodded. "If that's what you want, then that's what we'll do."

She kissed his cheek. "I want this."

Daniel put his hands on his wife's pregnant belly. "I want this baby to have the best I can give her. If you think that this is the best, then that's what we'll do."

She stroked her belly and then put her small hands on top of his. "I really think that this is best. And I know that this little girl is going to have an amazing life."

* * *

33.

When Sarah was a little over a year old, her parents started discussing the possibilities of having another child. "I'm up for it if you are," Daniel said. "I always said I wanted three children."

"I want more," Betty replied. "And I'm the one who has to be pregnant."

He laughed. "I'm the one who turned forty this year. I think we should take that into account."

"You'll be fine," she told him, kissing his ear. "You're young at heart and you'll be fine even if we have a baby when you're fifty. I'm the one who has to get up in the middle of the night and feed the kid."

"So we want to have another baby," Daniel said. "Are you sure Sarah is ready for this?"

Betty nodded. "She won't try to sell the baby the way Hilda tried to sell me."

"Hilda tried to sell you? I bet you were a good, sweet baby who was on a schedule two minutes after birth. Alexis, oh my gosh, don't ask what she tried to do with me. But that was back when she was a he and he was a violent little boy. He liked power and control. And he didn't want a younger sibling."

"Well, you're here and we're going to give Sarah a younger sibling."

* * *

34.

Little did they know that she was already pregnant with William Ignacio Meade. But it was what they wanted. They wanted another baby and they were going to have one in January. And words couldn't explain the look on Daniel's face when he found out he was going to have a son. "I'm going to be a better father to him than my father was. I know I'm trying to be a better father to Sarah yes, but I'm going to be the best father ever. Having a son is my chance to prove myself against my father's standards."

"Daniel, you're a great father. Sarah adores you. And you are a good, responsible, caring father."

He smiled and leaned his head against his wife's shoulder. "I'm just nervous about all of this. I didn't really have a good role model growing up. What are we going to do if I screw our kids up?"

Betty laughed and stroked her worried husband's head. "You're not going to screw our kids up. You have a good head on your shoulders and I'm here to pick up the pieces. I know you're worried but I worry every day. What if I screw up? That's my biggest fear. Daniel, I'm home alone with our daughter for hours every day. I used to worry about dropping her or hurting her or feeding her something that she shouldn't eat."

"How did you stop worrying?"

She shrugged. "It took time. And I still worry about her. But I talked to your mom and she reminded me that we all occasionally stick bad stuff in our mouths. She told me that the best thing I could do for Sarah was to just relax and trust my maternal instincts."

"You're an amazing mother," he told her. "I really don't know how you do it."

Betty smiled. "Daniel, Sarah is a good baby."

"Yeah, but now she's learning how to walk."

"Which is why I made you baby-proof the house," she replied.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "That was my idea. I didn't want her to fall down the stairs to the basement and split her head open."

"And I was worried about her eating dishwasher detergent or something," his wife told him. "That was why I wanted childproof locks on the cupboard doors."

"We need to childproof our cars," he said. "She's going to start playing with the handles pretty soon."

"That's simple though. You just have to flip a switch."

"Most of parenting is not that simple. I remember when Sarah was born my mom told us that parenting wasn't just flipping a switch."

"It's rewarding though," Betty replied, running her fingers through Daniel's hair. "I wouldn't trade Sarah for the world."

"What about this baby?" Daniel asked, putting his hand on her slightly swollen belly.

"He's a good baby so far. But we'll see what he's really like after he's born."

* * *

35.

"He needs a name that has character and isn't very common," Betty Meade told her husband as they looked at their newborn baby boy.

"Ignacio," he replied, stroking his son's soft brown hair.

She shook her head. "That's fine as a middle name. But think about going to kindergarten with that name."

Daniel smiled. "Okay, so we need a first name. What about William? I had a great-uncle named William and it's a good name. It's not terribly common but it's a strong name. And you can nickname it easily. There's Will, Bill, Willie, Liam, and I'm sure there are more."

His wife looked down at the baby in her arms. "What do you think, little man?" she asked him. "Do you like that name? Can you be William Ignacio Meade?"

He opened his eyes and looked up at his mother before sighing and going back to sleep again. "I think he likes it," Daniel said. "Now may I please hold my son?"

Betty handed little William over to his father. "Be gentle with him."

He rolled his eyes. "Betty, I've held a baby before."

"I know. I'm just nervous. I carried him inside of me for nine months; I'm emotionally attached to this little guy."

She watched as her husband held their son in his arms and whispered to him. "I'm going to teach you how to be a man and how to play baseball and basketball and everything you ever needed to know. And I'm going to listen to you. I'm going to let you make your own decisions when you're old enough." He brushed his lips against his son's forehead. "I love you, little guy. And I'm going to show you the world."

When she was sure that her husband wasn't looking, Betty wiped a tear from her eyes. Daniel had no idea how good of a father he really was.

* * *

36.

"Sarah, can you bring me William's blanket?" Betty asked her daughter one afternoon. She was trying to get her children ready to go spend an afternoon with their grandfather. She liked taking the kids over to Ignacio's house every now and then when he wasn't working.

"Why?"

"We're going to see Grandpa."

"Will he make pandas?" the two-year-old asked as she climbed up on the couch where her mother was dressing her little brother.

Betty smiled at her daughter's mispronunciation of empanadas. "I'm sure he will."

"Will Daddy come too?"

"Only if you get me William's blanket," Betty replied, knowing that her husband was planning on meeting them at her father's house.

Sarah jumped off the couch and ran to the rocking chair where her baby brother's blanket was resting. Just then, the front door opened and Daniel came inside. His daughter took the blanket over to her mother and then ran to her father's arms. "Daddy, I got Will yam's blankie and then you come!"

Daniel picked his daughter up and kissed her forehead. "That's my good girl. Are you being a big girl and helping Mommy?"

"We're going to eat pandas with Grandpa!"

"That sounds fun. Can I come too?"

"Ask Mamma."

"Mrs. Meade, may I please come with you and our children to your father's house to eat empanadas?" Daniel asked walking over to his waiting wife.

Betty smiled. "Of course, but what are you doing here? I thought you were just going to meet us there."

"I didn't have anything else that couldn't wait until Monday and I would rather spend time with my family than killing my eyes by staring at my computer screen."

"Well, then help me get the kids into my car and we can go eat pandas."

"I like that plan." He looked back at his daughter. "Sarah, I have something in my car that Miss Christina sent you. Should we go get it or do you want to wait until tomorrow?"

"Can we please get it now?"

"May we please, Mommy?" Daniel asked his wife. "I'll let her open it and then put her in your car."

Betty nodded. "I'll meet you out there in a few minutes."

* * *

A/N: Please review! Last night, I made a list and came up with at least like 16 more episodes I could do. And I can always use more ideas.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I obviously do not own _Ugly Betty_. But please keep reviewing! It makes me so happy.

* * *

37.

Daniel didn't know how he had gotten to this point. It wasn't something he'd meant to do or something that he'd planned on. He'd found himself in the middle of it before he knew that he'd begun. But looking back, there had been signs that this was coming. There had been his reaction to her decision to keep dating Henry even when he had gotten Charlie pregnant. A friend doesn't tell a girl that she's stupid but a guy who is in love with his best friend would say that. A best friend will try to protect his friend but not to the depths or lengths that he had gone to. But now he was sitting at his desk staring at his assistant when he should have been looking over the Book one early spring afternoon. Betty was answering calls and sorting his mail. She was too smart for that; she could do so much more. She didn't go to college just to sort his mail and tell him when to go to meetings. But she didn't want to leave him; he was too important to her. But she probably just wanted to be his friend. He wasn't her type; she went for guys like Henry and Gio. He didn't know what she saw in them but regardless they were the kinds of guys she dated. She didn't date playboys. She loved her career but at heart, she really was the marriage and family type. And while he did want a wife and a family, most people didn't think that he was. Betty might be his best friend but she probably still didn't see him like that.

"Daniel," Betty's voice broke through his thoughts. "Here's your mail."

"Thanks," he said holding out his hand but without looking up.

"Are you all right?" she asked him.

He nodded. "I'm just busy, stressed; you know how life around here is."

"You could take a vacation sometime," she told him. "You are allowed to do that."

He shook his head. "I have to get this place running right and we have to get this issue finished."

"And you have to go to some charity ball on Friday night."

"I don't want to," he replied, finally looking up at her. "I want to eat pizza and watch a movie."

"And your mom wants you to find a date."

"I really don't want to go anywhere with any dumb model that will just sit there and tell me how many tic-tacs she can eat without breaking her diet."

Betty smiled. "Well, I can't help you."

"Yes you can," he replied with a sudden smile. "You could be my date and then we could sneak out early and go back to my apartment and eat pizza while watching a movie. Please?"

He knew his assistant couldn't resist his pleading blue eyes and eager smile. "Fine," she said. "But you're paying for my dress and shoes; you know I don't own any fancy clothes."

"Fair enough," he replied. "I'm giving us the rest of the day off and we're going shopping now."

* * *

38.

Even that moment should have told Betty that her boss wanted more than just friendship. But Betty Suarez was blissfully oblivious to the fact that Daniel Meade was probably as in love with her as she was with him. She, however, was still convinced that Daniel Meade just wanted to be her best friend and watching movies was just a friendly activity. Silly girl, she should have known that Daniel adored her. He hadn't been on a real date in ages and he seemed to prefer spending his weekends watching movies with her to chasing models. And now he was taking her shopping when they both should have been working. Most girls would have seen what was going but not Betty Suarez. She was still ignorant to the fact that Daniel Meade's dreams revolved more around a curvy Latina spitfire than they did around any twig-like model. And he wanted marriage and a family, two things that few people ever would have associated with him a few years earlier. But now he was walking around Bloomingdale's looking at dresses with his assistant. And he was patiently waiting for her to try on the dresses instead of trying to get some with the nearest hot blonde. Betty was really starting to wonder who this man was and what he had done with Daniel Meade. But here he was helping her pick out a gorgeous navy blue gown with silver shoes and then he was arranging for her to get her hair and make-up done by someone with whom _Mode_ had connections. This new Daniel was a sweetheart and he was paying for all of this. Damn, she was a lucky girl to have him as her best friend.

"How long do you want to stay?" Betty asked Daniel on Saturday night as the car pulled up in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

He shrugged. "It's eight now and I want to be home by ten-thirty. Did you bring clothes to change into?"

She shook her head. "I forgot."

"It's okay; you can borrow sweats and a t-shirt from me. And then just get them back to me sometime. It's no big deal."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not going to let you get pizza all over that dress; that's for sure. And it can't be too terribly comfortable for just lying around watching a movie."

She smiled. "It's not terribly comfortable for anything."

* * *

39.

Daniel looked at his assistant who was currently sprawled out on his couch wearing a pair of gray sweatpants that were far too big for her and a burgundy Harvard t-shirt that was basically drowning her. She was so cute with her still perfect hair and make-up clashing against her comfortable apparel. Daniel was wearing black sweat pants and a white undershirt but realized that it was a little chilly in his apartment. "Do you want a sweatshirt?" he asked.

She shook her head. "When is the pizza going to get here? I didn't eat anything at that dinner."

He smiled; moments like this made him want to grab her and kiss her. She didn't fit perfectly into the world of high society but she was still beautiful and smart and absolutely wonderful; and she didn't know it at all. "It should be here in about half an hour. But I have some pretzels or ice cream if you want something now."

"The pretzels sound amazing. So what movie are we watching?"

He ran into the kitchen and grabbed the bag of pretzels along with a bag of tortilla chips and sat down next to her on the couch. "We have options," he replied, handing her a stack of DVDs from the coffee table.

"_Mulan_, _Blazing Saddles_, _Gladiator_, _The Little Mermaid_, or _War of the Worlds_," she read. "Well, violence scares me and I don't really feel like _Blazing Saddles_ right now."

He pulled _The Little Mermaid_ out of the pile. "I think we both know that this is your favorite movie, so we'll watch it."

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" she asked kissing his cheek.

"Umm, no," he replied. "But I'm glad I know now. And I'll be sure to use that against you in the future."

"Shut up and put the movie in the DVD player," she said, slapping him.

He hugged her and took a brief second to smell her hair, which smelled like hairspray and not his sweet Betty. Then he jumped off the couch and loaded the movie.

When the pizza delivery man rang the doorbell about half an hour into the movie, Daniel realized that at some point the past thirty minutes, Betty had curled up against his chest and he had wrapped his arms around her. Some people might have taken this as a hint that their relationship had gone farther than friendship but this wasn't the first time that this had happened to Daniel and Betty and they always seemed to just blame it on the fact that they were best friends. But at times, Daniel found himself wondering if they did it because they were friends and they really were that comfortable together or if they did it because they wanted something more or they knew that there was something more than just friendship between them. He knew that he had fallen for his best friend and he needed to talk to her about it. But he didn't know how to do it without ruining everything.

* * *

40.

"Did you know that Wilhelmina once told me that she thought I could be like her?" Betty asked Daniel one night a few weeks after they started dating.

He looked at her and shook his head. "I know she changed herself but I think that she had always been that person on the inside; she just needed an outside to match. You're too sweet to be like her. You actually care about people."

Betty smiled. "I had this nightmare of becoming like her. And it scared the crap out of me. In it, I ignored you and I just abused people for no real reason except appearances and my own whims. And I can't imagine kicking you out of my life just because we don't work together. I can't imagine my life without you at least as my friend."

"So don't ignore me," Daniel replied, kissing her cheek.

"But you don't mind that I've changed my hair and my clothes, do you?"

He shook his head. "I care more about the interior, the Betty on the inside; the exterior is about what makes you happy. But if you don't mind my asking, why did you do it?"

"I thought that people didn't take me seriously enough."

"I took you seriously."

"After you got to know me, you did. But when you met me, you didn't take me seriously at all."

"I was also an asshole then," he replied. "I didn't take anyone, including myself, seriously."

"That's true but first impressions matter, Daniel. And people laughed at the way I looked. I didn't mind it but I wanted to move ahead in my career and I saw my exterior holding me back."

"You want to move ahead in your career but you refuse to stop being my assistant."

She looked at him. "Daniel, I worry about you. I know that I'm being silly but I feel a need to protect you and keep you safe."

"So you can do that as my girlfriend."

"Am I your girlfriend?" she asked looking up at his face.

"Do you need to ask?" he teased.

She sighed and pulled away from him so she could see his face better. "Daniel, I'm asking you a question, now will you please answer it? I'm asking you if I'm your girlfriend, therefore I must not be clear as to whether or not I am your girlfriend. I'm not going to ask you cutesy questions or play dumb; I want to know if we're dating or not."

"I'm sorry. I'm not good at this whole being a boyfriend thing; I'm not used to having to taking things beyond one stupid night."

"I know," Betty sighed. "But I'm willing to work with you if you're willing to work with me. Now, I'm asking you a question, Daniel Meade. Am I your girlfriend or am I just some stupid fling that's going to end when we both come to our senses?"

"You're my girlfriend," he replied. "I think I came to my senses when I finally started dating you."

"Aren't you all cutesy and romantic?"

Daniel laughed. "I know, I know, but I'm used to using it to get girls."

"No, no, I like it sometimes. I think I might like it when Daniel is romantic."

"Yeah, well, I think I like saucy Betty; it's a little bit sexy."

"Oh shut up," she replied. "You know you're going to have to behave yourself at the office."

Daniel pulled his girlfriend into his lap. "Yeah but I'm not at work right now. And therefore, I don't have to behave myself, Ms. Suarez."

"I feel like I might regret this but just shut up and kiss me, Mr. Meade."

* * *

41.

"Daddy, I need you!" a sad voice cried as Daniel Meade sat at the dining room table with his laptop one Saturday morning in early December.

"What's wrong, Vivianna?" he asked as he removed his reading glasses and walked towards his almost five-year-old daughter who was coming down the stairs with her teddy bear clutched tightly against her chest.

"Daddy, Nikolas told me that Santa Claus is dead," she sobbed. "Tell him to stop lying."

Daniel picked his daughter up and kissed her forehead. "Why did he tell you that Santa died?"

"I asked Sarah to write a letter to Santa for me and Nik said that Santa died a long time ago and we're stupid to send him letters because he can't receive them anyway."

"Santa isn't dead," her father told her, carrying her to the couch.

"That's what I said. But Nik said I'm stupid and I should just come ask you; you'd tell me the same thing. He said that you and Mommy buy all of our Christmas presents and just pretend that there's a Santa." Her tone suddenly became very accusing. "He said that you lie to us. You and Mommy wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

Daniel had known that this moment would come at some point in his youngest daughter's life. He and Betty had been forced to have this conversation with each of their four older children and it was never easy. And he'd never had to explain this by himself; Betty had handled Sarah and they had this conversation jointly with each of their three sons. But now he was alone with his daughter who had firmly believed in Santa Claus until that day. "All right, Vivianna, now you're a big girl," he began slowly, looking his daughter's bright blue eyes. "And Mommy and I haven't been lying to you."

"So Nik was lying!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

He took a deep breath; explaining Santa was one of the harder parts of parenting. "Nik was lying, in a way. But Mommy and I haven't been telling you all the truth either."

"I'm fused," she told him.

"I understand that. I was confused too when I was your age." Unfortunately, Alex was his brother and Alex was a lot crueler about revealing the truth behind the "Santa Myth" than Nik. "But I'll try to explain carefully. Santa Claus isn't dead. But Mommy and I are the ones who buy your Christmas presents. Santa Claus is a name that we give to the spirit of giving and sharing at Christmastime."

"So you lied to me," she said. "You told me stories about an old man in a red suit who came down the chimney to put presents in my stocking but really you were just lying."

Daniel was really wishing that his wife wasn't out having coffee with Christina just then. She really could have helped him out a lot. But he was alone and he could do this. "Vivianna, most parents tell their children about Santa Claus. My parents told me about Santa Claus."

"So they lied to you too?" she asked. "Did Grandpa Ignacio lie to Mommy too?"

He sighed. "I wouldn't say that it is a lie but rather an explanation for something. Would you rather that we just told you that we were buying your presents or did you like Santa Claus better?"

She frowned and looked at him sternly. "Daddy, do you love me?"

He smiled. "Of course I love you, pumpkin. Why wouldn't I?"

Vivianna shrugged before climbing into his lap. "You told me about Santa Claus."

"And you, my dear girl, accused me of lying to you."

She nodded. "And you might not love me anymore."

He kissed the top of her head. "I could never stop loving you. You're my Vivianna, my little angel."

"Am I stupid?"

"No," he replied. "You're not stupid at all."

"I'm going to tell Nikolas you said that," she told him as she scrambled out of his lap.

Daniel laughed. "Go ahead. And then tell him I want to talk to him."

* * *

42.

"None of our children believe in Santa anymore," Daniel told his wife that evening while they were making dinner.

Betty frowned. "I was afraid of that day. I liked it when they were young and innocent."

"I know," he replied as he shredded lettuce for the salad. "But Lucas and Vivianna still believe in the Tooth Fairy. And Vivianna still wants to be tucked in every night. They're still our children."

"But Daniel, my baby doesn't believe in Santa Claus anymore. They grow up too fast." She looked up at him with big brown eyes. "Can we have another baby?"

Daniel smiled and shook his head. "Sweetie, let's review a few things about babies. Do you remember two o'clock feedings?"

She nodded and smiled. "But I was the one who had to feed them. You could sleep if you wanted to."

"Do you remember diaper changes?"

"Those stink."

He laughed. "Do you remember morning sickness and labor?"

She grimaced. "I didn't like those parts. But the babies are cute and sweet and they believe in Santa Claus."

"I know," he replied. "But Betty, I'm fifty-two years old; I'm almost fifty-three. If we had another baby now, I would be in my seventies when the kid graduated from high school and college. I can't survive without my reading glasses and I know my eyes are getting worse. And then there's my heart to consider; I don't want to die on our kids before they're married. We're not getting any younger, sweetie."

Betty frowned and leaned against her husband's chest, noticing for the first time that Daniel had gray hair around his temples and that some of the chest hair peeking out from under his shirt was gray where it had once all been dark brown. And recently she'd found a few gray hairs on her own head. "I'm forty-three years old," she said out loud. "I can't have another baby right now. What was I thinking?"

"You were thinking that babies are cute, sweet, and innocent. And they are. But I think we're done with babies. Now we have to raise teenagers."

"I'm glad Vivianna still lets us tuck her in," Betty said. "Daniel, promise me you won't leave me for a younger woman who will still have babies with you."

He laughed and kissed the top of her head. "Honey, I don't want any more babies. I like the family we have here. And I couldn't find a better woman than you."

"You're too sweet," she said.

"Yeah, well, don't let dinner burn," he replied.

She laughed and kissed his cheek before going back to making dinner.

* * *

43.

"Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you." Nineteen-year-old Lucas Meade said, walking into his parents' bedroom. His mother was reviewing the Book for _Mode_ while his father was looking over finance reports from a few of his magazines.

"What's up, Luke?" his mother asked, setting aside the Book.

"It's kind of serious," he replied.

"Is it serious like a heart attack or someone dying or is it serious like you made a stupid mistake that's going to cost me a lot of money?" his father asked.

Lucas sat down on the edge of his parents' bed. "It's a little bit of both."

"And what is it?" Betty asked as her son took a deep breath.

"Beth's pregnant," he said slowly.

Daniel squeezed his wife's hand as he took a deep breath. "When did you find out?"

"She told me today," Lucas replied. "She's about two months along; she's due in July."

"And what are you two going to do?" Betty asked.

"She's going to have the baby but I'm not going to marry her or anything. I don't like her enough. She's pretty and really nice but she's not someone I want to get serious with."

His mother sighed. "But what are you going to do about the baby?"

Lucas shrugged. "I'm not sure. She wants to keep the baby and get married but that's not what I want. I'm still hoping that Jack and I can get the band thing to work out. And everyone knows that a rocker can't be tied down with a wife and family at nineteen or twenty."

Daniel took a deep breath. "So if you're not going to marry her and help her raise the baby, is she going to raise the baby alone?"

His son shrugged again. "I don't know, Dad. I'm nineteen years old; I don't want a baby. I didn't want this to happen."

"Lucas, let me explain something to you. If you're having sex, there is a possibility that the girl could end up pregnant," Betty said. "So regardless of whether or not you wanted this, you have it now. This baby exists and if Beth is keeping the baby, then you two have to figure out a way to take care of this child."

"But I didn't want the baby. And she's talking about how this could be our chance to save our relationship and make everything perfect with a wedding and a baby."

"Have you two discussed adoption?" Daniel asked.

"She just wants to keep the baby and get married. That's all she wants to talk about."

"I want to talk to Beth," Betty told her son. "Can you tell her that?"

"I can give you her cell phone number," he replied. "Then you can talk to her yourself."

"We'll talk about it in the morning after we've all slept on it," she said simply. "But I want to talk to Beth."

"I do too," Daniel added.

"Does this mean that I should go to bed now?"

"Or at least leave our room so I can talk to your mother, please."

"We're going to be grandparents," Betty told her husband after their son left the room.

"And yet, I have a feeling, we're actually about to become parents," he replied.

She looked at him. "What makes you say that?"

"Betty, you've met Beth before. She's very nice but we both know that Lucas was dating her because of her looks, not her brains. And I love Lucas; he's my son and I'll always love him. But he's not ready to be a father; unfortunately, he's about to become one, and he isn't prepared. Now, he has seven months; they both do, but I can't see either one of them being a responsible parent."

"So you think that we're going to end up with the baby," Betty said.

Daniel nodded. "Beth's parents aren't going to want to help with the baby. And she sees this baby as her chance to get Lucas to marry her but we both know that won't happen. Honey, I'm sixty years old and I'm really not looking to become a father again. But if someone has to take care of this baby, I have a feeling it's going to be us. Lucas won't do it; Beth won't. And unfortunately, they probably won't put the baby up for adoption either."

"So we're going to become parents again."

"And I was really getting used to sleeping through the night," her husband replied.

"Luke always was our free-spirited child."

"Yeah, well, I'd like him to put the rock career on hold for a while and actually do something for this baby. I would really like it if he would go to school and find a back-up plan for his rock career, but I don't see that happening. So, I think we're going to end up being parents to our grandchild."

Betty sighed and leaned against her husband's chest. "Did we do something different raising him than we did with the other four?"

"Yes, his middle name is Bradford. And we both know what my father was like."

"He didn't have any illegitimate children."

"That we know of," Daniel replied. "Remember, when he was nineteen, if a guy got a girl pregnant, they just would have sent off to the country for nine months and then given the baby away and no one would have known."

"Daniel, you're a little bit weird."

"No, I just know what my father was like."

* * *

44.

The following July, Reese Cassandra Parker-Meade was born. And her father had custody of her from the day her mother was released from the hospital. Beth Parker took off to become an actress and make her fortune in Hollywood, leaving her daughter with Lucas Meade, who really just wanted to be the next Bruce Springsteen. And so, true to Daniel's predictions, he and Betty found themselves raising a sixth child. "I'm sixty-one years old. I should be thinking about retirement," Daniel said one night as he got Reese ready for bed.

"You're preaching to the choir," his wife replied. "I thought that when I was fifty-two, I'd be working and raising Nik and Vivianna, not changing diapers."

"I'll be eighty-three when she graduates from college."

"I'm sorry, sweetie."

"That's disturbing," he said. "I want Lucas to take responsibility for his daughter, not to spend his evenings in our basement playing guitar while I change his daughter's diapers."

"So take Reese and stick her in his room until he takes care of her."

Daniel kissed his granddaughter's forehead. "No, I like Reese a little too much for that. I don't know when Lucas would finally get around to noticing that there was a baby in his room. He's a lot like I was at that age and that worries me. I didn't grow up for a long time after that."

"But you were born to be a father. The minute I gave you Sarah for the first time, you knew instinctively what to do with her."

"But I kind of wanted to get old and spend time with my wife."

Betty took Reese from her grandfather and put her in her bassinet. "I know, sweetie. I was looking forward to the day when Vivianna moved out and we could just spend time alone together."

"And what if I die? My father was younger than I am now when he died. And I have the same heart condition."

Betty took Daniel by the hand and led him back to their bed. "I really do understand, Daniel. I worry about this stuff too. And I want to slap Lucas upside the head and tell him to take care of his own daughter."

"Maybe we should do that."

Betty found herself leaning against her husband's chest and running her fingers through his hair. "Maybe we should. I'm just afraid of what he might do."

"The worst that can happen is that we still have Reese with us and the best is that our son would take responsibility for his actions."

* * *

45.

Daniel Meade was sitting in the living room late one night in December feeding little Reese. Sarah and her fiancé, Logan, were visiting for the weekend and he knew that Logan was in the kitchen getting a late night snack. Then he heard the kitchen door open and close. "What the hell are you doing?" Logan said to the person who had just entered.

"I was just out having drinks with my friends."

"You're not twenty-one yet; you can't legally drink."

"Oh, no one gives a shit about that anymore. And I'll be twenty-one next month."

"Lucas, your dad is in the living room right now feeding your daughter. He should be sleeping; he's her grandfather. You're her father; you're the one who should be staying up late and doing midnight feedings."

"But I didn't want the baby. Let Mom and Dad deal with that shit. It's just so stupid and boring and lame."

"Umm, it's called taking responsibility for your actions. You had sex, your girlfriend got pregnant, and now you have a daughter. Your father is in his sixties; he shouldn't be doing this kind of stuff. It's not good for his heart."

"He doesn't care. Mom and Dad like the baby; they can deal with her."

Logan sighed and Daniel smiled to himself. Where he and his wife hadn't been able to get through to his son, his soon to be son-in-law was trying to lecture his errant son. "Lucas, this is your child. And you're taking advantage of your parents. Get over yourself and grow up. Take responsibility for your daughter and her life."

"You're such a lame old man," Lucas said before storming out of the kitchen to his room in the basement.

A few minutes later, Logan came out into the living room. "Did you hear that?" he asked Daniel.

The older man smiled and nodded. "Good job, Logan," he said. "You're in the same league as me. I've been a lame old man for years now."

"I don't understand him."

"Welcome to the Meade family; this is how we live."

* * *

A/N: Please review! And keep giving me ideas; I think I currently have close to twenty, including the episodes I just did.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. I love reviewers. And I really am having fun writing this.

* * *

45.

"Daniel, I don't think I'm going to be able to make it in to work today," Betty told her boyfriend one morning about six months after they started dating.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes. He pressed his cell phone against his ear as his girlfriend coughed on the other end. She hadn't been feeling well the night before, so she'd left work early and then he'd gone out to dinner with his mother.

"My head feels fluffy and I keep coughing and I have a sore throat and a fever."

"Then stay home and rest, but I want to come over after work and see how you're doing."

Another coughing jag began and Daniel waited patiently for it to subside before Betty continued. "No, Daniel, I don't want to get you sick."

"Honey, if you've got it, I'm probably going to get it. We're together more than we are apart. I don't know why we have two separate apartments anymore."

"So that when I'm dying, you don't get what I have. Now, please call your mother and tell her I won't be at work today. And I'll call you when I'm better."

"I'll see you when I get off work today."

"Daniel, I don't want you getting sick."

"We'll argue about this later. I need to call my mom and go to work."

"Are you going to see Betty tonight?" Claire Meade asked her son.

He nodded. "I need to get her Kleenex, cough drops, Nyquil, chicken noodle soup, and maybe some flowers."

"Aren't you the romantic?"

Daniel laughed. "I'm taking care of my girlfriend, Mom. Romance isn't that important when I'm just trying to take care of her."

"Tell her I hope she feels better soon."

After coughing for a moment, he nodded. "I will."

"And don't get sick, Daniel."

He smiled as she pressed the back of her hand against his forehead. "I'm trying to stay healthy."

"Daniel, you two need to quarantine yourselves together at your apartment or hers. Whatever she is, you're coming down with it. You're coughing and you have a fever. Now go get that stuff you were going to get her and then quarantine yourselves from infecting the rest of the world."

"Yes, mother," he replied with a sigh and a smile.

Betty and Daniel both had strep throat. They spent a week alone in her apartment taking antibiotics, watching movies, and eating chicken noodle soup. They didn't talk much or do anything terribly romantic. They were just two sick people living in the same apartment and sleeping wherever they fell asleep, which was usually the couch. When they were both finally well enough to leave the apartment, they had to clean it. "I don't want to see this place again for about a month," Betty told Daniel as they threw away Kleenex tissues that were scattered around and washed dishes and disinfected every available surface.

"You could come live in my apartment."

She smiled. "I'm not quite ready for that. Daniel, we haven't even slept together yet."

"I know," he said. "We've been together for seven months or something like that. You know I've never done anything like this before?"

She looked at him. "Daniel, have you ever been in a relationship that lasted this long before?"

He sheepishly shook his head and smiled at her. "Sofia was probably my longest relationship."

Betty wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck and looked up into his clear blue eyes. "I'm so proud of you. You've grown so much and you've become such a mature adult."

"I'm a mature adult?" he asked.

She kissed him. "You, Mr. Daniel Meade, are an adult. I know that must surprise you but I think you've grown so much since we met."

"I'm the kind of guy who can date you. And I wasn't when we met."

She leaned against his chest and he held her close. He had his dream girl in his arms. And he didn't have strep throat anymore. His life was pretty much perfect and he couldn't help smiling. How could a man be as lucky as he was? He had once been a playboy focused only on his own needs and wants but now here he was in a relationship with a woman who was selfless and giving, much like the person he had become. He wasn't as good of a person as Betty but he was changing. He was learning to put other people first and to think about their needs before his own.

* * *

46.

Daniel Meade sleepily reached for his girlfriend and found nothing but a pillow. And when he opened his eyes, the bright numbers of his alarm clock told him that it was 3:19 A.M. Therefore, Betty should have been in bed, sleeping peacefully. Daniel climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom but no one was there. Then he found his glasses and made his way to the living room where he found his girlfriend sitting on the couch and staring at the television. "Is there a reason you're watching infomercials at three in the morning?" he asked

"Yeah, there's a great deal on knives that can cut through marble. I thought we should get some for the kitchen."

Daniel sat down next to Betty. "Umm, honey, you're watching an infomercial for Elvis's greatest hits. I don't see anything about knives."

"Oh, it was the last one; I must have dozed off."

"Which again brings us back to my original question; what are you doing watching infomercials at three in the morning?"

"Do you think I'm fat?"

"No," Daniel replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Look at me."

"You're wearing my bathrobe and I'm about a foot taller than you; of course it won't fit you."

Betty smiled. "No, Daniel, let's be serious. I'm never going to look like Amanda or any of those other _Mode_ girls. I'm never going to be skinny like them."

"So you have curves," he told her. "I think they're sexy. And I prefer that to any anorexic stick that only eats two tic-tacs a day. And you have great child-bearing hips, which I think will be very useful someday."

She leaned back against his chest and he wrapped his arm around her. "Do you really think that I'm sexy?"

"Would I be dating you if I didn't? Let's be honest here; I'm Daniel Meade. If I didn't think you were sexy, would I date you?"

She laughed. "But what about when I'm pregnant and huge? What are you going to do if I'm pregnant and I look like a whale? Will I still be sexy then?"

"You'll still be gorgeous to me. It'll be my baby and you could never look like a whale. And I'm always going to think you're gorgeous."

"But I'm not always going to be twenty-nine and look like this. Someday I might get old and fat."

Daniel kissed his girlfriend's cheek. "Betty, I love you. I'm always going to love you. Fat or thin, tall or short; you're my Betty and I love you. Now, will you please stop watching infomercials and come back to bed with me? I can't sleep without you."

"But I'm comfy here. You're really comfy."

"I spent hours every week at the gym and you're calling me comfy."

"Shut up so I can sleep."

"Turn off Elvis and come back to bed with me."

"But Elvis is cute."

"And he's dead," Daniel said, grabbing the remote and hitting the "power" button. "And now he's left the building. So we're going to bed."

"But I'm comfy here."

"So I hear." And then he looked down at her to see that she'd fallen asleep. He knew he'd lost the battle and he might as well just sleep where he was.

* * *

47.

"Mommy, I have a question for you," five-year-old Sarah announced one day walking into the kitchen where her mother was making lunch.

"And what might that be?" Betty asked her daughter.

"Why don't Grandma Claire and Grandpa Ignacio live together? Melanie's grandparents live together. Are they divorced?"

Her mother smiled at her daughter's innocence. "No, your grandparents aren't divorced."

"Then why don't they live together?"

Betty put down the sandwiches in her hands and turned to her daughter. "Sarah, Grandma Claire is Daddy's mother. And she was married to your Grandpa Bradford but he died a few years ago, before you were born."

"Does Daddy miss him?"

"I think so. It was his daddy."

Sarah nodded and then a puzzled expression came over her face. "If Grandma Claire isn't your mommy, then where is your mommy?"

"My mother was your Grandma Rosa who died when I was younger. She died long before I ever met Daddy."

"Did you meet Daddy's daddy?"

"I did," she replied. "He was the one who introduced me to your daddy."

"He must have been a nice man."

Betty smiled, remembering Bradford Meade and thinking that "nice" wasn't the first word she would have used to describe him. "He was a very special person."

"Do you miss your mommy?"

"I do," she said. "She was a wonderful woman."

"Was she like Aunt Hilda?"

"I suppose she was, in her own way."

"Was she like you?"

"Your grandpa thinks so."

"She must have been amazing," Sarah told her mother. "Would she have liked Daddy?"

Betty nodded. "She would have loved him."

"Then I bet I would have loved her."

"I'm sure you would have loved her.

"Would she have loved me?"

Betty kissed her daughter's cheek. "Of course she would. Now, let's go take lunch out to your brothers before they starve to death."

* * *

48.

Being the mother of five children was a full-time job, if you asked Betty Suarez. She once wrote an article for her mother-in-law's magazine, _Hot Flash_, about the difficulties of raising five children while trying to balance that with a career, once they started school. But until all of her children were in school, she stayed at home with them. And after Vivianna started kindergarten, Betty started working as the editor in chief of _Mode_ again. "How do you do it?" Becks asked her one day when he walked into her office.

"Do what?" she asked.

"You're hot as hell, you have five great kids, you're married to Daniel, and you're the EIC of one of the biggest fashion magazines on earth. How do you have time to do all of that?"

"I'm really talented," she replied without looking up at him. "And I have an amazing husband."

"So here's the thing," he said, sitting down. "I've been asked to contribute some photos to a gallery that's doing a show about the role of women in the twenty-first century and I was wondering if I could use you as a model. You're a working mother who manages to make it all work."

"You'll have to show the power behind the throne," Betty told him. "I couldn't do this without Daniel and five wonderful kids."

"Okay, here's what I'm thinking. I want to do some shots of you working but also some shots of you at home doing stuff like cooking and spending time with your husband and kids. I want to show you as kind of the American Dream for a woman."

"Yeah, well, no one else gets to be married to Daniel Meade. And he's half the reason I can do this."

"But you'll do it? You'll be my model?"

She shrugged. "I guess so."

"Awesome, so when I can take pictures of you?"

"When is your show?"

"In about three months, so we've got time but I'd like to do it soon."

"Next week is Vivianna's birthday and Christmas. Would the second weekend of January work for you?"

"Whatever you want," he said. "You're the model."

"Yeah, usually the photographer is in charge of this kind of stuff. I've been around the magazine world for a while and I know these sorts of things."

"Well, you're married to Daniel Meade and he could probably kill me with his bare hands if he wanted. Plus he's my best friend."

Betty smiled. "Well, then you can do the shots of me at work that Wednesday and then the stuff at home, you should be able to do that Saturday."

"I'll see you then."

"So you're the woman who has it all," Daniel remarked to his wife as they explored the gallery several months later.

Betty smiled as she saw the picture of herself talking on the phone while cooking. "I think the idea is that I'm talking to you on the phone while making dinner and helping Nik with his homework."

"It's sexy," her husband told her. "And the pictures are amazing. But I have the real thing and I like that more. I get to keep you forever and ever."

There were pictures of Betty working at her computer, talking on the phone and working with the other editors at _Mode_. There were pictures of Betty with her children and with Daniel. Daniel's favorite picture was of Betty and Daniel in the kitchen working on dinner. He had reached around Betty to grab something and then pulled his wife close against his chest. She was laughing with her mouth open and her eyes sparkling and he had his nose buried in her hair as he kissed the top of her head. Lucas probably would have described it as "old people love" but Becks had captioned it "Caught in the Moment."

"I love you," Daniel whispered in his wife's ear. "You truly are an amazing woman."

She smiled up at him. "And you're an amazing man. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You wouldn't have as many beautiful children," he replied.

She leaned against him. "And I wouldn't have the most amazing husband on earth."

He kissed her. "You're cute."

* * *

49.

"My oldest daughter is getting married this afternoon," Betty told her husband. "And I don't feel old enough for that to be happening."

He smiled. "I know how you feel. But I'm just stunned that she's old enough to be getting married. She's only twenty-five."

"I was twenty-nine when we got married; that's not much of a difference. And I was twenty-two when we met."

Daniel shook his head. "Where did the time go?"

"We met thirty-three years ago," Betty said. "It feels like it's been the blink of an eye."

He nodded. "I know. I still remember that girl in the Guadalajara poncho walking into the glass wall."

"And I remember the idiot boy who gave me inane tasks trying to get me to quit."

"I was the playboy who wanted to keep my perfect little world."

"And I was a dreamer who wanted to change the world."

Daniel kissed his wife's cheek. "And then everything changed when I fell in love with my assistant. I was so afraid when I realized that I was in love with you."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "I was sure that you weren't interested in me. And I realized that I liked you more than I'd ever liked any girl before. I knew that if I'd fallen for you and I couldn't get out easily. And I was sure that you knew and were secretly laughing at me. I had been so protective of you and so affectionate towards you. I was positive that you and Christina were laughing at me for being dumb enough to fall for you."

She laughed. "I didn't think you were obvious at all."

"Oh come on," he replied with a smile. "Don't you remember when I told you that you were stupid for dating Henry? Or what about when I got Gio fired for being an asshole to you?"

"I thought you were just my over-protective older brother/best friend."

"Did you ever think that I liked you?"

Betty shrugged. "There were definitely moments when I suspected something. I remember the night you took back _Mode _from Wilhelmina. I wasn't sure if we were just really good friends or if that look in your eyes meant something more."

"I didn't even know that I liked you yet then."

"There was also a day about a month or so before we started dating. I was at my desk and I looked up to see you watching me. I wasn't sure if you were just zoned out or what. But I felt like you were watching me."

"I probably was. I was very protective of you and I was really worried about you."

"What about you? Did you ever suspect that I liked you?"

He nodded. "You spent a lot of time snuggled up against my chest during movie nights shortly before we started dating. You would just lean back against me and make yourself comfortable."

"You always wrapped your arm around me when I did that and I felt so safe and comfortable."

"You used to tell me that I was comfortable."

"And you'd always protest with something about the number of hours you spent at the gym."

He laughed. "I remember when Sarah was a baby and you used to take her out to the living room or to her room to get her to fall asleep in the middle of the night."

"I wanted to give you some peace and quiet so you could sleep."

"I know but there were nights when I couldn't sleep because you weren't there. I needed you there to help me fall asleep."

"And then you'd come find me in the living room and we'd all end up sleeping on the couch."

"Until Sarah woke up and wanted to be fed," he recalled. "That was twenty-five years ago."

"And now she's the one getting married. She'll have children someday."

"It's so weird. I don't feel old."

"Sarah wants to have our daddy-daughter dance to 'Sunrise, Sunset' from _Fiddler on the Roof_. And that's how I feel about her getting married. I don't remember growing older; when did she grow up?"

"I remember the first time she brought Logan home," Betty said.

"That was five years ago."

She nodded. "And now she's marrying him."

"I told him he had to be good to her. He had to respect her."

"Daniel, he was terrified of you that first visit. I think he was afraid of you for about two years after that."

"He called me sir until he graduated from college, but I understood how he felt. I was terrified of Ignacio when we first started dating. I remember when we moved in together. I really thought he was going to castrate me."

"And I think that's how Logan felt about you."

"He's a good kid. I like him now."

Betty laughed. "You're a good father."

"But I'm not ready for Vivianna to start dating just yet."

"Daniel, dear, she's almost seventeen years old; she's been on dates before."

"But she can't be in any serious relationships yet. I'm not ready for her to grow up."

Betty kissed Daniel's cheek. "Sweetie, she's almost an adult; we have to let her grow up."

"But I liked it when they were little kids and we were their whole world. I was the most important man in the world to them. And now Logan is taking that place in Sarah's life."

"You still have Reese."

He smiled and nodded. "But Lucas is starting to take more responsibility for her."

"When she's upset, who does she run to? Who disciplines her when she misbehaves? Who kisses her boo-boos? Daniel, Lucas might be her father, but you're her daddy. That little munchkin adores you."

Daniel smiled. "She's an angel."

* * *

50.

A few hours later, Daniel and Betty were standing in the back of the church where Logan and Sarah were getting married. "Are you ready?" she asked him as she came out of the room where her daughter was getting ready.

He shrugged. "Are you?"

She dabbed her eyes with a Kleenex. "Hell, no, but she is. Daniel, she is so beautiful and so happy about this. How's the groom doing?"

"Logan is nervous," he told her. "He asked me if I was sure that Sarah wasn't going to bail on him."

"They're cute." She studied his face for a moment. "Did you think I was going to bail on you?"

He nodded. "I remember about two minutes before the wedding started. My mom came into the room to see how I was doing. And I asked her if you were really there and if you were really going to marry me. And she laughed."

"I knew you were going to be there waiting for me. You wanted to get married too badly."

"I just wanted you for the rest of my life. And I think that's how Logan feels right now."

"Well, he's marrying Sarah," Betty replied with a smile. "He can't marry me; I'm already married to the most amazing man I know."

"Mom," William said walking over to his mother. "Can you tell Sarah that it's go time?"

She nodded. "Daniel, are you ready?"

He smiled and gave her two thumbs up before William and his mother both started laughing. "It doesn't matter whether or not I'm ready," he said. "This is about Logan and Sarah, not me."

"She's married," Betty said to Daniel as they stood in the receiving line after the wedding.

"Yeah but I like Logan; he's a good guy. He'll take good care of her."

"But for the first time in my life, I feel old."

"I'm nine years older than you. You're not old."

She smiled and leaned against his arm. "I'm glad someone thinks so."

"When was the last time Lucas called you old?"

She shrugged. "It's been a while; I'll admit."

"See," Daniel said. "He's finally growing up."

Betty looked over at her son who was standing nearby holding his one-year-old daughter on his hip while talking to a friend of Sarah's. "He's getting better at the whole parenting thing."

Lucas and Reese were still living with his parents but he'd finally gotten himself a job and started taking classes at a small, local college. He wasn't the best parent in the world but he was getting better at relating to his daughter. He couldn't punish her but her grandparents were both more than capable of saying no to their granddaughter and setting limits for her. And they were trying to teach her father how to do that for himself. Eventually, he wanted to move out of their house and take Reese with him. But that could take a while since he wanted to wait until after graduating from college before doing that.

"You know Mrs. Meade," Daniel said to his wife. "I think we actually did a pretty good job of raising our kids."

* * *

A/N: Please review!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. That's about it. If you don't recognize it from the show, I probably do own it. And I adore reviewers.

* * *

51.

"You know we have to tell people about us eventually," Daniel told Betty one night as they sat in his apartment eating dinner.

"But I don't want to!" she protested. "I like this feeling of being together and no one knows. We're together and no one is analyzing it," she replied.

"But we can't do this forever. If we get married and have children, people will wonder how it happened. We'll have to tell people that we're together so we can invite them to our wedding. And then there are other issues with keeping it a secret. What are we going to do if some guy asks you out? I have to protect my woman from those losers who want to steal her from me."

Betty smiled. "I'm not your woman; I'm your girlfriend."

"Okay but I still have to protect you. I can't just let some guy steal you away from me because he doesn't know that we're dating because you don't want to go public with this relationship. Now, can we at least tell our families?"

"All right, we can tell our families. It's just a simple phone call to say 'Dad, I'm dating Daniel.' It shouldn't be so hard."

He laughed. "It won't kill you to admit that you're dating one of the sexiest men in New York and loving every moment of it."

"You have absolutely no problems with your ego," she remarked.

Daniel grinned. "I'm Daniel Meade and I'm dating you. I don't know how I got so damn lucky but I'm pretty happy about it."

His girlfriend kissed his cheek. "Oh, Daniel; you're incorrigible."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, it doesn't mean that you won't be treated like a boy."

"What?"

"It's from _The Sound of Music_, dumbo," she told him.

"Hey now, my ears aren't that big."

Betty laughed. "Well, incorrigible means that you're hopeless. And I think you are hopeless."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, I'm hopelessly in love with you."

She pulled away from him. "Daniel Meade, that's such a pathetic line. You really need to find other friends besides Becks."

"Well, I have you."

"Like I said, you're pathetic."

"Can you imagine what Becks will say if I tell him that I'm dating you?"

"He'll probably ask you if he can bang me sometime soon."

Daniel cringed. "He can go screw himself if he says that. Or I could give him a free castration courtesy of Meade Publications."

"You need some more mature friends."

"Would you prefer that I spent time with Mark and Amanda?"

Now it was Betty's turn to cringe. "Please, never do that to me."

"They will know that we're dating."

"Yeah and they'll make fun of me."

"Did you talk to your dad?" Daniel asked his girlfriend the next evening after work.

She nodded. "He wants to have you over for dinner on Friday night."

"Will it just be me alone with him?"

Betty laughed at the fear in her boyfriend's bright blue eyes. "No, it's going to be him, Hilda, Justin, you, and me. It's just going to be a nice family dinner. And he won't kill you during dinner."

"Did he say anything about dessert?"

She laughed again. "Honey, I think he likes you. He said that he wasn't surprised to hear that we were dating. I think he's suspected something for a while. And I'm pretty sure he likes you."

"My mom wasn't surprised at all. When I told her, she said, 'Finally, I've been waiting for this to happen for a while.'"

"I like your mom."

"And she loves you. I really think that she would probably adopt you and disown me if I ever broke up with you."

"I'm sorry," Betty said. "I'm just cuter and sweeter than you."

"And you work for her."

"But you own the company."

"No, I'm just the president of the company. I only own part of the company."

"Oh, so you're humble and powerful," she said with a mischievous smile. "That's incredibly sexy."

He grinned and pulled her close. "Oh, you haven't seen sexy yet."

She giggled and snuggled close to him. "Did you call Alexis?"

Daniel laughed. "Oh man, I wish you could have heard that phone call."

"What did she say?"

"She wanted to know if I realized that you weren't the kind of girl who had flings, that you are the kind of girl that gets married and has a family."

"And what did you say?"

"I told her that was kind of the point. I was looking for someone I could settle down with and with whom see myself having a future."

Betty smiled. "You're growing up. Daniel, you're really growing up and becoming a man. When did this happen?"

"It had to happen at some point."

"Well, I'm glad that it happened now."

* * *

"Did you tell anyone besides your family?"

"I told Christina."

"And what happened?"

"She wasn't surprised at all. She told me that she was glad we finally came to our senses."

Daniel laughed. "How long have people expecting us to get together?"

"I'm really starting to wonder about that myself. No one seems to be surprised by this."

"I told Becks and even he wasn't shocked at all."

"What did he say?"

"Let's just say that he will be getting that free castration."

"Oh god, what did he say?"

"Umm, he asked about the possibilities of a threesome."

Betty gasped. "Honey, why are you friends with him again?"

"We grew up together."

"Physically, not mentally and emotionally," she teased. "He's stuck around age fourteen or fifteen."

"And where am I?"

"Mid or late thirties; I would guess that if I had to make a guess."

"You're so cute."

"I'm glad you like me."

Betty smiled. "I'm glad I like you too. It makes this whole dating thing a lot easier. Could you imagine what it would be like if we didn't like each other?"

Daniel laughed. "We'd be miserable."

"And it wouldn't be any fun."

* * *

52.

"Do you have two quarters?" Betty asked Daniel when he got home from work one November night when William was six.

"Why?"

"William lost his first tooth today and he's all excited about getting money from the Tooth Fairy. And I'm out of quarters."

"Is two quarters the going rate for losing your first tooth these days?"

"I think it's more like five bucks but I'm pretty sure we gave Sarah two quarters."

"For every tooth after the first one," he said. "But we gave her something different for the first one."

"You're right. Do you have a five dollar bill?"

He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket. "You're in luck, darling," he said as he pulled a five dollar bill out of his wallet.

"You can hang on to it," she said. "We just need to put it under his pillow after he falls asleep tonight."

"Okay, so how did the little man lose the tooth?"

"He's been playing with it for days and then today he was messing around with it when he got home from school when it just kind of came out. You should have seen his face, Daniel; he was so excited. It was adorable."

He smiled as his oldest son ran into the kitchen. "Daddy, you have to see this!" William yelled, jumping on his father. "Check it out! I lost my tooth!"

Daniel examined the gap in his son's teeth and grinned. "So I suppose you're expecting the Tooth Fairy to visit you tonight?"

"Sarah said he always visited her."

"The Tooth Fairy is a he?"

"The Tooth Fairy is a really short old man. That's what Sarah says. She saw him once."

Daniel smiled and picked his son up. "I'll bet she did. She's really sneaky and good at finding things."

"But she's never seen Santa Claus except at the mall."

"Neither have I," his father admitted.

"Mommy, have you ever seen Santa?"

Betty shook her head. "Nope, but you could ask Aunt Hilda; she probably has seen him. She was really sneaky when she was kid."

* * *

"Whose turn is it to be the Tooth Fairy?" Daniel asked his wife that night after all their children were in bed.

"I'm not sure but you're going to have to do it," his seven-and-a half-months-pregnant wife said. "I'm a whale; I can't do it right now. If he woke up, he would recognize his fat mother."

"You're not fat, babe."

"Honey, I think I weigh about 190 pounds."

"No you don't."

"How do you know?"

"Because I went to your last doctor's appointment with you and he said you only weighed 150," Daniel replied.

"I could have gained forty pounds."

"In two weeks?" he asked. "Honey, I highly doubt it. You don't look like you've gained forty pounds recently."

"I'm still fat. You can play Tooth Fairy now."

"You're not fat; you're pregnant. But I'll play Tooth Fairy. You can relax."

"Good, because I can't get my fat self out of this bed again for a while," Betty told her husband.

He sighed. "You're ridiculous."

"Wait until Thanksgiving, honey. I'll probably eat more than everyone else at the table combined. And I won't be able to get out of bed ever again."

He rolled his eyes at that remark. "Betty Meade, you're absolutely ridiculous. I love you but I think you're being more than a little silly."

"I just want to have this baby."

He kissed her before taking the five dollar bill from his wallet. "I'm going to give some a little boy something special. And when I come back, I'll give you something special if you're good."

Betty sighed. "If you get me some ice cream while you're out there, I'll give you whatever you want."

"What kind do you want?"

"Chubby Hubby," she replied with a teasing smile.

"You're getting Half-Baked."

"Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Only if you are, darling," was his reply before he left the room with a wink and a smile.

* * *

"I'm up to 160," Betty informed Daniel the morning after that Thanksgiving.

"You're due in a month, sweetie," he told her.

"And I could get fatter between now and then. I'm always hungry. All I want to do is eat and eat and eat."

"I love you and I'll always love you. And I don't think you're fat," he said stroking her belly.

"Daniel, look at me."

He looked at his wife. "I'm looking at you and all I see is a very pregnant woman who needs to let her husband kiss her and then take her to bed to do things that would never happen in a Disney movie."

"You're still attracted to me," she said. "That amazes me."

"Honey, I don't think you've ever been so sexy before in your life. You're pregnant and that's amazing."

"And fattening," she sighed.

"In one month, we'll have a beautiful baby girl who will complete our family and you'll love her more than you could ever imagine," he told her.

"And then I'll have to lose all this excess weight."

He kissed her. "Sweetie, you've been like this with every pregnancy. Do you remember Nikolas?"

"I was huge," she said. "I was bigger with him than I am now."

"He was a ten pound baby."

"The doctor said he thinks this baby might get that big."

"We've had some big babies," he said.

"Yeah, that would be your fault," she replied. "I'm only five-two."

"And I'm closer to six-two."

"So it's your fault I'm getting so fat."

Daniel sighed. "I guess you're right."

"Then go get me some ice cream. I want chocolate this time."

"You really are pregnant with a girl."

"Why do you say that?"

"You never craved chocolate this much with any of the boys."

Betty laughed. "Was I this bad with Sarah?'

"I think you were. I remember a lot of French silk pies and fondue."

"William was fruit and vegetables, especially sweet ones, and I was really horny. Lucas was bread and other carbohydrates."

"And Nikolas was dairy products, especially cheese."

"Especially foreign cheese," Betty recalled. "I think I once ate a whole wheel of Brie in one sitting."

"I remember that. We were watching a movie and you were eating it like it was popcorn or something."

"Being pregnant is so weird."

* * *

53.

Vivianna Rosa Meade weighed ten pounds, four ounces and was twenty-one inches long. "She's the second biggest baby weight-wise," Daniel remarked when Betty told him how big Vivianna was.

"And the chubbiest if you look at the weight to length proportions," his wife said, looking at the chubby baby in her arms.

"Is she worth everything you went through?"

Betty nodded. "More than worth it," she told him with a smile on her face. "She's absolutely perfect."

"Are you happy now?" Daniel asked his wife.

She beamed up at him. "We have the five most perfect children ever born. They're all healthy and beautiful and happy and perfect."

He smiled and kissed her. "So when are you coming back to work?"

"The thirty-fifth of never," she replied.

"You're never coming back? But I miss seeing you at work."

"Darling, I haven't been there in eight and a half years."

"So when are you going to come back and protect me?"

Betty looked down at the baby in her arms. "Daniel, I like being Mommy. I like putting band-aids on cuts and kissing boo-boos. I did the whole magazine thing and I can do it again when this little one starts school. But right now, I like knowing where my kids are and what they're doing."

"I understand," Daniel replied.

"And I will come back someday. And I write freelance articles for you. I just don't have to be at Meade Publications every day and when I do come in, I can bring the kids with me."

"But you usually end up leaving them in my mom's office."

"She likes them."

"I've noticed," Daniel told his wife with a smile.

"And now I can lose all the excess weight."

He shook his head. "You always lose weight just from breast-feeding."

Betty laughed. "That's true. These kids of yours like to suck off the pounds."

"They like sweet things."

"You are so weird."

"I think you once told me that I was incorrigible."

She smiled. "After I told you that it meant hopeless, you told me that you were hopelessly in love with me."

"It was true then and it's true now. And I'm pretty sure that I love you more now than I did then. Becoming a husband and a father has taught me what love really is. I would die for these kids and for you."

* * *

54.

A year later, the Suarez-Meade family was celebrating Vivianna's first birthday. Grandpa Ignacio had made dinner including empanadas, which were his grandchildren's favorite food, and Betty had made the cake. Alexis even found time to come to New York for her youngest niece's first birthday. Nikolas was running around looking for attention while Lucas showed up for anyone who would watch him for more than two minutes. Sarah was helping her mother in the kitchen, and William was trying to keep Nikolas entertained. And the birthday girl was snuggled up against her father's chest while he talked to his sister. Vivianna, like her older sister, adored her father. And Daniel loved spending time with his two little girls. They were his princesses. Becoming a father had helped Daniel to grow up and become a better person.

"How do you do this, Danny?" Alexis asked her brother after dinner. They were watching their mother playing with her grandchildren while Betty and Hilda cleaned the kitchen and got things ready for dessert.

"What do you mean?" he asked her, bouncing the birthday girl on his hip.

"They're so energetic and they always need attention," she said. "I could never live like this; it's so chaotic."

"It's a beautiful chaos," he replied. "I love it; I thrive on it. You couldn't live like this and you don't. But I love living like this. It's so amazing. They're so loving and caring."

"But there are dirty diapers and early morning feedings and disciplining them. And you have no freedom. They consume your life. They become your life."

"They're my children, Alexis," he told her. "And I love them. I knew what I was getting into when I agreed to have five children. All that hard work is worth it. There are sloppy kisses and smiles and hugs when you're unhappy."

"But I never would have thought of you as a father."

He smiled and kissed Vivianna's forehead. "I never thought of myself like this until I met Betty. But this is the real Daniel. The real Daniel Meade is a father who plays soccer in the backyard with his kids and spends his Friday nights watching Disney movies with his kids."

Alexis shrugged. "It's just not the kind of life I would want. I like being able to do what I want when I want."

"You can't do that with kids," her brother replied. "But you can act like an idiot in front of them and no one cares."

"That's not for me."

Just then, Justin came into the room. "All right, munchkins, who wants to play horse?"

Almost instantaneously, he had four Meade children climbing all over him. "I want to be first!" Lucas yelled.

"But what about me?" three-year-old Nikolas asked. "I want to go."

"But I'm bigger!" his five-year-old brother protested.

"Luke, let Nikolas go first," Sarah told her younger brother. "He is the smallest and we should give him a fair turn."

"But I never get to go first!"

"You can play trucks with me," William offered.

"No!" Lucas had his arms crossed on his chest and a pout on his face. "I don't want to play trucks. I want to ride the horse."

"Well, if you're going to act like that, you don't get to ride the horse," Justin said. "We have to give everyone a fair turn and share."

"But I hate sharing."

Daniel handed his youngest daughter to her grandmother and stepped over to Lucas. "If you don't want to share, you can go sit in your room by yourself. You won't have to share it with anyone."

"But I want to ride the horse!"

"Let your brother go first and then you can go," his father replied. "Or you can go to your room. What do you want to do?"

Lucas shoved Nikolas and stuck out his lower lip at his father. "I'm a big boy and I get to ride the horse first."

"Lucas Bradford Meade, we do not push our sibling in this house. Now apologize to Nikolas or you're going to your room and you don't get to ride the horse at all."

"I want to ride the horse first. Nikolas can go later; he's just a little kid."

"By that logic, I should let Sarah and William each take a turn before you."

"I don't care about them. They're obnoxious."

Daniel picked Lucas up then. "All right, buster, it's off to your room with you. Justin, can you give Nik the first ride please?"

"Sure thing," Justin replied.

* * *

55.

"Being a father may kill me yet," Daniel told his wife that night.

She laughed. "I doubt it. You might get some bruises and scars but you won't die. And they're good kids, in general."

"In general," he repeated. "Did we do something different with Lucas than with the other?"

"I ate more bread," she replied.

He shook his head. "That's not it. But I feel like he's different than the rest of the kids."

"I didn't drop him on his head."

"Maybe some members of the Meade family are just naturally dysfunctional," Daniel said. "Or they just take longer to grow up. I took longer to grow up."

Betty smiled. "Maybe that's it. Maybe Luke is more like you than we think."

* * *

A/N: Please review!


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. That's about it. If you don't recognize it from the show, I probably do own it. And I adore reviewers. Yes, I do realize that this was a really fast update; it just kind of happens sometimes.

* * *

56.

"You have to see this," Betty said, throwing an envelope at her boyfriend one night when they'd been dating for about a year.

"What is it?"

"My electrical bill," she replied. "Just open it."

"This is like ten dollars," Daniel said, reading the bill.

"Yeah, honey, I haven't spent the night at my apartment in close to a month and most of my clothes are here. I'm really starting to wonder why I have my own apartment at all anymore."

"You need someplace to keep your couch?"

She laughed. "I could sell my couch and it would be easier than paying rent and utilities on an apartment that I rarely use."

"What are you trying to say?"

"I'm asking you why I still own that apartment."

"You need someplace to hide after we fight."

"So I'm playing over a thousand dollars a month just for that. Hotels are less expensive."

"Betty, are you suggesting that we move in together?"

"I guess so," she said. "I don't know. How do you feel about it?"

"You might as well live here now. We can sell your furniture and move whatever you still have over there here this weekend. When does your lease there end?"

"September," she said. "So there's only a month left on it."

"Then just move in with me," he told her. "You basically live here now. Your clothes are here. You have a towel and a toothbrush here. What more do you need?"

"I'd like to have my pots and pans so I can cook more often. We need to eat less take-out around here."

"Yes, mother," Daniel teased. "If you move in here, we will eat less take-out and you can cook more."

"And you can learn to cook."

"Now that is a scary idea."

Betty laughed and kissed her boyfriend. "So I'm moving in this weekend."

"If your dad doesn't kill me over this," he replied, pulling her closer to his chest.

"Oh, he loves you."

"But now he's going to know that I deflowered his little girl."

"Honey, if he didn't know that before, he's blind. He's seen us kissing before."

Daniel laughed and kissed Betty.

* * *

"So I moved in and Dad didn't kill you. He even helped us. He didn't do that with Henry."

Daniel smiled. "I know. But he did glare at me a few times when you weren't working. I think he wanted to remind me that you're still his little girl until I make this all legitimate and ask you to marry me."

"Hey, it's not like we're going to go have illegitimate children or something," Betty replied. "We know what safe sex is."

"Honey, I'm Daniel Meade; I can understand why he's glaring at me like that. He's afraid I'm going to hurt you."

"I think he trusts you. I think he sees a lot of himself in you."

"I'm not a good cook."

"No but you are a good man who isn't perfect."

"I'm not perfect? Then why are you dating me?"

"I love you," she replied. "I see the good in you despite your imperfections. And I love you the way you are."

He started nibbling at her neck. "You're delicious."

"If you're hungry, I can make dinner."

"I like this better," he replied. "It's healthier."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Daniel, do you want me to make dinner?"

"Later," he said, pulling her into his lap. "I'm busy working."

"If you keep going like this, someday we're going to have a lot of children."

He laughed. "I only want three or four, at absolute most."

"I want at least two boys and two girls," she replied.

"Okay, so we'll have four. Now I need to get back to work."

"You, Daniel Meade, are ridiculous."

"I know," he said. "That's why you're dating me."

"I thought I was dating you because I loved you."

* * *

57.

"I go away for one week and you trash this place," Betty said walking into their apartment the following January. She had gone to Paris for spring Fashion Week and returned to find the apartment littered with newspapers, mail, and empty take-out boxes.

"I've been busy," Daniel replied.

"Did you water the plants?"

"Every day," he told her. "I just never did anything about the trash."

"You're ridiculous."

"You know," he said. "You tell me that awful lot. Don't you have anything nice to say about me?"

"You smell nice," she replied, kissing him.

"I showered," was his reply. "And I used your shampoo because I missed you."

"You're full of it."

"No, I'm serious."

"Okay, you're serious but you're seriously full of it."

Daniel laughed. "Can we go make use of our bed?"

"I just want to sleep," she replied. "I've been up for about a hundred hours straight."

"I can do that," he told her. "I've missed sleeping next to you and smelling you."

"I hate sleeping alone," Betty admitted. "The other half of the bed always feels like a chasm or something. And I can't sleep there because I think that you should be there. I can't sleep on your side of the bed."

"I can't either," he replied. "But I'm not above stealing your pillow and sleeping with it to make me feel better."

"Oh I've done that before," she told him. "But right now I just want to go sleep forever and ever. And then I have to be at work tomorrow at eight."

"I should make you take the day off, as your boss."

Betty laughed. "No, you shouldn't. People will think that you're just doing that because I'm your girlfriend. And I've just started as editor of _Mode_. I don't want to make things a mess already just because I'm your girlfriend."

He sighed. "Fine, go sleep. But I'm also going to expect you to rest this weekend. We'll just relax all weekend so you can get over your jet lag."

"Can we watch _The Emperor's New Groove_?" Betty asked as she snuggled up against her pillow.

Daniel's collection of Disney movies had grown by leaps and bounds since Betty moved in with him. "Whatever you want," he replied. "I watched _The Little Mermaid_ while you were gone."

She laughed. "I'm growing on you."

He pulled her close to his chest. "And I love you for it. You're making me a better man."

* * *

58.

"Can't we just elope?" Betty asked her fiancé as she looked at the pile of things related to their wedding that was growing on their dining room table. "We can have a nice reception for our family and friends later but I don't want all this stress and mail. I just want to marry you and have it be legal and all of that. We already live together. Do we really need to bother with getting married?"

Daniel smiled. "It will make our families happy and as I recall, you were the one who said we couldn't have kids until we got married."

"And I do want babies."

"So we're still going to get married next month?"

Betty shrugged. "I guess so. I just hate all the stress around this."

"I know," he said, lacing his fingers through hers. "But just think; you'll get to wear a pretty white dress and promise to love me now, always, and forever. And then we'll dance the night away. All of that will be followed by two beautiful weeks in Rome. Will you still marry me?"

She kissed him and laughed. "I'll still marry you. But I just want all of this stress to be over. I just want to marry you and have it all be over. I just want to be married."

"I thought every little girl dreamed of her wedding day."

"I did although it was always Hilda's dream more than it was mine. But I did want to get married. I wanted to wear the fancy white dress. But you have to remember that Hilda was the pretty one. I was the fat, smart sister."

Daniel sighed, leading his fiancée over to the couch. When he had her settled in his lap, he looked into her eyes. "I don't want to hear you call yourself fat anymore. I think you're absolutely beautiful and I'm sick of hearing you insult yourself. So you don't look exactly like Hilda or the models in those stupid fashion magazines. I don't give a shit about that garbage. I love you the way you are and I don't care what other people look like or think of you."

"You didn't know me when I was twelve."

"No, but I know you now and I love you; now will you please stop insulting my fiancée? I love her and I hate hearing people saying bad things about her."

"You're so sweet," she said. "How did I end up with you?"

"My dad hired you because he was sure that you were the only woman on earth who could both be a good assistant for me and who I would never think of sleeping with."

"How'd that one work out for him?"

"It's hard to say," Daniel replied. "He's dead and we're getting married. How do you think it worked for him?"

She laughed. "I don't care. I'm editor of _Mode_ and I'm marrying you. What more could a girl want in life?"

"Dinner sounds pretty good to me," her fiancé replied. "What do you want me to make you?"

"Empanadas," she told him. "And make them just like my daddy makes them."

"Honey, I can't do anything until you get off my lap."

"But I'm comfy."

"Darling, this is a recurring theme in our relationship. I'm either comfy or I'm ridiculous."

"Or sexy," Betty told him. "Don't forget that I think you're amazingly sexy."

He kissed her cheek. "I'm glad. Now please get off my lap so I can make you dinner."

She sighed. "Make me."

"Okay," he replied, picking her up and then standing up. "Now, what should I do with you while I make dinner?"

"I need to get changed out of my work clothes."

"To the bedroom!" he said and started walking to their bedroom. When he reached it, he dropped her on the bed and then left for the kitchen.

* * *

Ignacio had started giving Daniel occasional cooking lessons after he asked Betty to marry him. One of the first things that he'd taught him was empanadas because it was one of Betty's favorite foods. He'd also taught him the secret to his pancakes, which were one of Daniel's favorite things. "You know that I think you're really sexy when you cook," Betty told her fiancé when she came into the kitchen wearing jeans and a plain blue t-shirt.

Daniel, who had removed his suit jacket and dress shirt, laughed. "It's just because you can see all of my muscles."

"I think it's because you remind me of my daddy and you bring out my inner Elektra complex."

He laughed. "Please don't ever say that again. I don't want to think about your inner Elektra complex."

"Oh come on. I know you secretly want to murder your father and marry your mother."

"My dad is already dead."

"Then it's that much easier for you. Oedipus and his mom had four kids together. Just think about it."

"Please excuse me while I gouge my eyes out. The mental images you just presented to me are horrific. Can we please talk about something peaceful, like fuzzy white bunnies?"

But Betty wasn't quite done being mischievous yet. "I don't know if bunnies have oedipal complexes."

"You can leave the kitchen now and come back when you're ready to behave like a rational adult and stop telling me about poor innocent bunnies and their psychological disorders."

She stuck out her lower lip. "But I'm just having fun."

"I'm not enjoying it, young lady. Now if you want to eat dinner, you're going to have to behave for me."

"Fine," she sighed. "Is dinner almost ready yet?"

He nodded. "I just need you to set the table and then we can eat."

"You're going to be an amazing father someday."

"I'm not quite ready," he replied. "But I'll trust you on that."

* * *

59.

Claire Meade outlived her husband as well as her oldest child. Alexis Spencer Meade died at the age of seventy after a heart attack. Her brother, at the age of 68, took his sister's death to heart and continued to watch his diet, especially his cholesterol, and take care of himself. Claire lived three more years after that, to see the age of ninety-six. She had attended the weddings of three of her five grandchildren and seen the birth of several great-grandchildren. "She accomplished more than most women could ever dream of doing," Betty told Daniel the morning after his mother's death.

Claire had been living with her son and daughter-in-law for the past ten years or so. And one morning in 2048, she simply didn't wake up. "But she's smiling," Daniel remarked as he looked at his mother's peaceful face. "And she's finally with my dad."

Betty nodded. "She's finally at peace. And she had a good life."

Claire had outlived her husband by thirty-six years and in those thirty-six years, she had seen her son marry an amazing woman and become a father to five beautiful, wonderful children. She had watched Sarah, William, and Lucas each get married and have children. And she had met Jackson, Vivianna's fiancé. She had twice made the trip to Germany to see her grandson, Nikolas, who was playing professional soccer for Bayern in Munich. And while there she had met his girlfriend, Anna. At her funeral, the pallbearers were her son, William, Lucas, Logan Sparks, Marc St. James, and Amanda Tannen's son, Jayden. She hadn't always done the right thing with her life but she had loved the people about whom she cared the most. And she had been loved by her family.

"Why did Nana Claire die?" Sarah's six-year-old son, Michael, asked at the visitation.

"She was old," his mother replied.

"Is Papa Daniel going to die?"

Sarah looked over at her father, who was sitting on a chair with William's infant daughter, Caroline, in his lap. Daniel was seventy-three years old and had white hair. He wore his age well but it was still obvious that he was growing old. "He'll probably die someday but it won't be anytime soon."

"I love Papa Daniel and I don't want him to die."

"I know, Michael," his mother said. "I know exactly how you feel."

* * *

Ten-year-old Reese Meade was standing by her grandmother watching the people who were paying their last respects to her great-grandmother. "I don't get it, Grandma. Why do people die?"

"It's a natural process," Betty replied. "At some point, our bodies get too old to function properly anymore and we die. And I think by the time you get to be as old as your Nana Claire was, you get lonely."

"Why was she lonely?"

"Her husband died over thirty years ago and many of her friends had died. She was lonely."

"But she had you and Papa Daniel."

"I know, but her daughter had died three years ago. And she'd had a long, difficult life. I think she was very much so ready to die."

"But I didn't want her to die."

Betty squeezed her oldest granddaughter's hand. "I know. But you'll see her again someday."

"Do you promise?"

"I do. I'm sure you'll see her again."

* * *

"I feel old," Daniel told his wife that night when they got home from the funeral home. "I feel old and tired."

"I know how you feel."

"We're both orphans now."

"We're adults; I don't think we count as orphans."

"But we both have lost both of our parents," he protested. "And Alexis died; I've lost my older sibling twice now."

Betty nodded. "I don't know how much longer Hilda is going to make it," she admitted. "She's seventy-years-old and she's never really taken care of herself, especially since Papi died."

"We could bring her to live with us," Daniel suggested.

His wife laughed. "No, honey, I think we need to move out of this house. It's too much for just the two of us."

"Are you suggesting we sell it and move to a nursing home?"

"I was thinking of an apartment or a condo someplace. Daniel, we could move to Florida like all the other old people."

"We could move to Germany and be closer to Nik."

"And then we'd be farther from Luke, Sarah, Vivianna, and Will. You can't take me away from all of my grandchildren."

Betty and Daniel had eight grandchildren. Sarah and Logan had three children; Michael Paul was six, Elizabeth Rose was three, and Daniel Logan was a year old. William and his wife, Marie, had two daughters; Simone Olivia was two and Caroline Ava was about four months old. Lucas had Reese and then he'd married Clarissa Burton about two years earlier and they had twin daughters, Adelaide Marie and Nora Louise, who were seventeen months old. Daniel occasionally liked to joke that Sarah was his favorite child because she was the only one who had given him grandsons. "How do you expect the Meade name to live on after I die?" he teased his sons. "Do you expect the Meade name to die when you three die?"

His sons simply laughed at him whenever he started in on his rant and he would shake his head at them and say, "And you think I'm joking. I really do love your sister more."

* * *

"I've buried both of my parents and my sister," Daniel said the next night as he sat in his bed. "I buried Becks. I'm seventy-three years old and I'm not getting any younger."

"Honey, I'm sixty-five; I've buried both of my parents and I don't know how much longer my sister will last. I know how you feel. We're not going to last much longer. And I think that it's time we acknowledged that."

"We can't keep this house anymore. You're right about that. I think we should just let the kids take what they want and we'll find someplace smaller. We can sell this place and travel more."

"And we don't need two cars anymore. I'm retiring from _Mode_. I'm too old to do that anymore."

"I'm talking to Sarah about taking over Meade Publications from me. I can't handle the stress of it anymore. I'm too old for it."

"I can't believe that she's the one who has followed us into all of this. I'm not surprised that William is a photographer; he's been headed that way since he was four."

"Vivianna is headed into publishing too," Daniel said.

"That isn't a surprise either," Betty replied. "Lucas went into business, which I always figured would happen. He has a head for numbers and sense."

"And you've been predicting Nikolas's soccer career since before he was born."

"He couldn't be that good at kicking my bladder without any reason."

Her husband laughed. "The only real surprise is Sarah and publishing. I would have thought she would be a doctor or something."

"Are you referring to when she used to cut up her dolls?"

He nodded. "And she was just always so smart. I figured she was going to change the world."

"Give her the reins at Meade Publications. I can guarantee you that she'll blow you away."

"She's a lot like you," Daniel said. "She's very driven and determined."

"Vivianna is like that too."

"So is William. He isn't using photography the way his mentor did. He isn't like Becks. He prefers news and real stories with history and relationships and details."

"Well, he isn't doing it to sleep with his models the way Becks was."

Daniel laughed. "No, he's a happily married man who is more interested in showing people what's going on in the Third World and Antarctica."

"Simone and Caroline will see more of the world as children than most people see in a lifetime," Betty said. "I'm a little jealous of them."

"I can show you the world," he sang to her. "Shining shimmering wonders, tell me, princess; when did you last let your heart decide?"

"I really changed your world when I introduced you to Disney movies and music."

"You really did. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"You would have been very, very bored."

* * *

A/N: I'm getting pretty close to the end. I think I have about eight more episodes. I'm going to do things like their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and their first night at home after Vivianna starts college. And I want to do the weddings of all their kids. But please review!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. I adore my reviewers. I think that's about all I can say.

* * *

60.

"How did we get here?" Betty Suarez asked her boss/best friend/boyfriend Daniel Meade. The two were curled up together on his couch while watching a movie. They'd been on a several dates but the complete comfort in their current position was still a bit unusual.

"Umm, well, you leaned against me so I wrapped my arm around your shoulders to make you more comfortable. And then you climbed into my lap and I don't know why you did that."

"You looked comfortable."

"You like me," he said. "Admit it. You really like me a whole lot."

"Oh, you're a good friend."

"Betty, let's be serious here. We're using the terms boyfriend and girlfriend right now. Let's just all be honest here. Things in this relationship are pretty serious."

"I am sitting in your lap."

He smiled. "No, I think that we both have pretty strong feelings for one another here."

"Are you trying to tell me that you like me?"

"I think I'm trying to tell you that I love you."

Betty gasped and looked at her boyfriend. "Did you really say that or am I delusional?"

He shook his head and laughed. "I said it. I just told you that I love you."

"Daniel," she breathed; she never would have expected him to be the first one to say those three all-important words first.

"You could say something," he said, removing her from his lap and looking into her eyes. "This is kind of an important moment in our relationship."

"I don't know what to say," she told him, surprised at the coldness in his usually bright blue eyes.

"You could tell me that you feel the same way or you could tell me to go jump off the Empire State Building because you don't feel the same way," he replied, an edge of anger creeping into his voice.

"I'm sorry, Daniel," she said. "I just never expected you to be the one to say that first. I've thought about it before but this wasn't how it went in my mind. I was always the one who said it first."

"Do you want to rewrite the script and do this over so it fits in with your dreams or whatever?"

"No!" she said. "I'm just surprised and a little taken back. I do love you but I just never expected you to tell me before I told you."

"So is it a bad thing that I told you first?"

Betty looked at her boyfriend. "No, it's not. I do love you and I'm glad you told me. I was just surprised. Daniel," she said sadly, taking his hand. "I love you. I want to be with you. I'm sorry; I screwed up."

He nodded. "I love you, Betty. And I know I'm not necessarily the type of guy people expect to do these kinds of things. But I like you and you matter to me. I love you and you matter to me. You're very important to me, Betty, and I don't want to lose you."

"You've really changed a lot in the past few years."

"Is that a good thing?"

She nodded. "I'm just surprised. You were never the type of person who would do this kind of thing. You used to be afraid to talk about your feelings and always screwing random women."

"Well, I grew up somewhere along the way."

"I'm glad," she said. "Because you grew up and now I get to be with you; I'm one lucky girl."

"I think I'm a lot luckier than you are. I get you; you're stuck with me. I'm not sure why you like me or care about me."

"Umm, you're an amazing man who treats me well and is respectful of my family. You're one of the best and most genuine human beings I know. I think I'm pretty lucky to have you."

He kissed her cheek. "You're amazing."

* * *

61.

"So your mom has the kids until Sunday?" Betty asked her husband when she walked into his office around lunchtime one Friday in early summer when they'd been married for close to twenty years.

"And we have the house on Martha's Vineyard all to ourselves," he replied. "And we can leave whenever we want."

"Umm, now works for me," she told him. "Can we just go now?"

He smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'm ready."

"Okay, let's go," she said, running to the door. "You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this weekend. I need three days with no children or work or anything except you, me, and the beach."

"That sounds amazing," he said, as he stood up and followed her to the door. "That really sounds like the best idea I've heard in ages."

"I love being a mom but there are just days when I want to get away," Betty told Daniel on their brief flight to Martha's Vineyard. "I need some peace and quiet."

"I just need time with you when no one will walk in and ask me to do their homework."

His wife smiled. "I know what you mean. I feel like I spend more time helping our kids with their homework than I do with you."

"You're the one who wanted to go back to work once Vivianna started school."

"I love working and I love being a mom, but sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind."

"Why?" Daniel asked. "Why are you losing your mind?"

"I'm feeling overwhelmed," she replied. "I'm working all the time and Sarah just moved away to school. William is so busy and he's growing up so fast. Lucas is just ridiculous; being his parent confuses me and makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong. Nikolas always has something going on. And Vivianna is so precocious and she's growing up so fast. I just feel like I'm missing all of it because I'm always working."

"Honey, you're home by six every night and you always make dinner. You're a great mom."

"But I'm missing out on things."

"Have you missed one of Nik's soccer games yet?"

"No," she replied.

"Then what are you missing?"

Betty shrugged. "I don't know. But I feel like I'm missing something. I just don't know what."

"Do you miss me?"

"Who are you?"

"I don't know. But we share a bed."

"Hmm, you look vaguely like my husband."

"That's very interesting. You're married?"

"I married this guy named Daniel Meade about twenty years ago."

"I hear he's quite the stud."

"He's okay. He has amazing blue eyes. But sometimes he's a little egotistical."

"I'm not a fan of egotistical guys. You should dump him and we'll get together. It'll be better for both of us."

"Really, why do you say that?"

"Well, I'm married to this Latina spitfire who just never stops going."

"Oh, sorry, I can't help you. I'm probably just as much of a Latin spitfire as your wife," Betty told her husband with a teasing glint in her eye.

"Oh well, this has been fun. Maybe I'll run into you again sometime."

"I'll be in my husband's cottage on Martha's Vineyard all weekend. Come to the back door if you want to play."

* * *

62.

"Mom, you've been married for twenty-five years," Sarah Meade told her mother as she helped set up for her parents' twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. "How does that make you feel?"

"Like an old woman," her mother replied. "I've been married to an amazing man for twenty-five years. And sometimes that feels like more than a lifetime and other times it feels like it's been less than an hour. I've loved Daniel and I've hated him. I've wanted to kill your father at times but in the end I realize that he is the greatest man in my world. I love him more than I could ever imagine and he makes me a better person."

"When did you know that you wanted to marry him?"

Betty smiled. "We'd been dating for about six or seven months and we were watching a movie. I can't remember what movie it was but it was a Disney movie with a cutesy story and cheerful songs and a happy ending; it might have been _Mulan_. I was being very snuggly and happy over it; I loved watching Disney movies with your father. And at some point, he said that he wanted to watch movies like this with his children someday. When he said that, I knew that this man, this Daniel Meade was the man with whom I wanted to spend the rest of my life."

"That's cute," Sarah said. "How much longer was it before you two actually got married?"

"About another two and a half years, we dated for another year and a half before we got engaged and then it was another year before we got married."

"That's kind of crazy."

"How long have you been dating Logan?"

Sarah paused for a minute. "We've been together for about three years."

"And when are you getting married?"

The daughter shrugged. "Point taken, Mom," she replied.

Betty smiled at her daughter. "I'm not pressuring you to get married. I was twenty-eight when I got married."

"How did you know that you were ready to get married?"

"Well, we'd been dating for a while and then we moved in together. I had gotten up to being Editor in Chief at _Mode_. Your father was more than financially settled with the Meade family fortune. I realized that we were both adult enough and responsible enough to make the commitment for be husband and wife until death did us part."

"But where did love fit into all of it?"

"We loved each other. And I think this was also the point when I realized that I loved your father more than I'd ever loved anyone before in my life. I loved him and I loved him in a different way than I'd ever loved anyone before. I learned self-sacrificial love from my relationship with your father. And I learned what love was even more when you and your siblings were born. I learned what love was and how to love by getting married and becoming a mother."

Sarah nodded. "How will I know when I'm ready to get married?"

"I can't explain it to you. But you'll just know." Betty looked at her oldest child. "Do you want to marry Logan?"

"I feel like people expect us to get married because we've been together for so long."

"That's not what I asked you," her mother replied. "Sarah, if Logan asked you to marry him, would you say yes out of a feeling of duty or comfort or would you do so out of a genuine love for him and a desire to spend the rest of your life with him?"

The twenty-three-year-old looked at her mother and thought for a while. "You don't have to answer right away," Betty told her daughter. "But I want you to think about it. I married your father because I loved him and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. I don't know if or when Logan will ask you to marry him but don't do it until you're prepared to give him your life, all of your life until you die."

"Is that what you did with Dad?"

Betty nodded. "I gave your father all of myself and he gave me all of himself. We share our lives, our thoughts, our feelings, our bank accounts, our children, and everything else in our world. We became a married couple and we didn't lose our identities when we joined our two selves together. Rather, we found ourselves more completely in joining our lives and selves."

Sarah looked at her mother. "You guys really have something special. Most people don't have relationships like that anymore."

"I know," her mother replied. "That's why divorce is so common in our world. But here's the thing; your father and I have been really lucky in having each other. We have found our perfect mate. We have five wonderful children. Our families support us. It's really been an amazing twenty-five years."

"That's what I want," the daughter told her mother. "I want to look back at my life and know that I didn't make a mistake."

"Can you have that with Logan?"

"I think I can."

* * *

63.

That evening, the Meade family had a large dinner party for their friends and family to celebrate Daniel and Betty's twenty-fifth anniversary. Christina McKinney had designed a gorgeous silver dress for Betty to wear and Becks Scott was running around with his camera taking pictures of the happy guests and the beaming hosts. Sarah was there with Logan. William had brought his current girlfriend, Caitlyn, with him as his date. Lucas was there with his girlfriend, Beth, who was very blonde and very stupid. Nikolas, at seventeen, did not bring a date but was busy spending time with many family friends. And his fifteen-year-old sister, Vivianna, was doing the same thing. "It's more fun this way," she told her older sister. "I like having fun and being independent."

Sarah smiled at her younger sister. "That's good at your age. When you get older, you'll have plenty of time for seriousness and commitment. You're fifteen years old; enjoy yourself tonight."

"And don't do anything that I wouldn't approve of," William told Vivianna. "I've got my eyes on you."

"And so do I," Nikolas added. "We're watching you, little munchkin. So don't step out of line."

"Keep your eyes on Lucas," the youngest Meade replied. "I think his hands are stepping into a whole new territory."

Will and Nik both looked over to see their nineteen-year-old brother his hands up the back of his girlfriend's short dress. "Can Mom and Dad see them?" Sarah asked.

William looked around the room. "They're talking to Grandma Claire."

"Then go deal with Lucas. It's going to piss Mom and Dad off majorly if he's doing this in public."

William nodded and went over to deal with his younger brother. Sarah shook her head. "I hate Lucas's ridiculous sex-mania."

"Aunt Alexis says that Dad used to be just like that when he was younger," Vivianna said.

"He was," Sarah admitted. "Mom has told me stories about when she first started working for him. But that doesn't change anything. Lucas is absolutely ridiculous. Dad grew up and so can Lucas."

"So give him time," the younger Meade child said.

Her older sister shook her head. "Dad caused his parents problems when he was younger. And Lucas is doing the same thing now. I'm sick of it. I don't think Aunt Alexis cared about what Dad did when he was a kid but I do care about what Lucas does. And I think you guys do too. I know Will cares. And I think we need to do something to help our brother."

"I'm just a kid," Vivianna replied. "I can't do anything."

Nik shrugged. "I don't know what we can do. But somebody had to wake Lucas up before he screws something or someone up."

"A few too many members of this family have gone to jail. I'm not going to let my dumbass brother screw anything else up for this family. I don't know what to do or how to do it. But I'm going to figure it out."

"About thirty years ago, my father hired Betty Suarez to work as the assistant to the new Editor in Chief of _Mode_ magazine," Alexis Meade began her pre-dinner toast. "Bradford Meade's goal in hiring her was to keep his son, Daniel, focused on his job. He wanted his son to keep his head focused on the magazine business rather than just screwing his assistant all the time. Well, Bradford died several years ago and didn't get to see how that one worked out. But I don't think it worked out exactly the way he wanted it to."

The crowd laughed and Daniel squeezed his wife's hand as his sister continued, "The Daniel Meade that Betty Suarez met over thirty years ago was an asshole who deserved to have his ass handed to him. And the confused poor little rich playboy met the girl from the Bronx who had a heart of gold and a desire to change the world. And I don't know if she changed the world but she definitely changed her boss. And somewhere along the way, first friendship and then love entered the picture. Over the past thirty years, I've watched my brother and Betty grow together. I'm constantly amazed by the love and respect that they have together. And I love watching the way they work together. They make each other better and they encourage one another. And I'm always both amused and inspired by the way they protect each other. They have given so much to be together but I also see them being rewarded by their life together. They do amazing things, especially together. I'm continually amazed by their love for each other and for their family. They make time for each other, for their children, for their friends, and for their careers. They're two of the most driven people I've ever met. And they're two of the most successful and happy people I've ever met. And I'm proud to be a part of their family and their lives. To Betty and Daniel," she said, raising her champagne glass high.

Then it was Becks's turn. "Twenty-six years ago, Daniel told me he was going to ask Betty to marry him. I asked him why. Why did he want to commit himself to one woman for the rest of his life? And he told me because she was his life; he was nothing without her. I couldn't understand that; Betty was a great girl but she was still just a girl. I remember telling Daniel that I couldn't understand why he would want to subject himself to the miseries of marriage. And he laughed at me and told me that he loved her. And over the past twenty-five years, I've learned something about love and life from watching these two. I've known Daniel since he was five years old and I've never seen him happier than he is when he's with Betty. That might sound sappy but he really is happier with her. And he is a better person when he's with her. He might not be as much fun to me but he's a better person. He's a devoted husband and a loving father. And Betty; well, she's the best woman I've ever known. She is a wonderful wife and mother. She really is, in my opinion, the woman who has everything. To Betty and Daniel, may the next twenty-five years be even more amazing than the first twenty-five!"

And then Hilda took the microphone. "Twenty-five years ago, my younger sister married Daniel Meade. The night before the wedding, I was talking with my father and I asked him if he was sad to see Betty get married and leave him. And he said no; he wasn't losing Betty but rather gaining Daniel as a son. At the time I didn't really get what he was saying but over time I really grew to understand that. Daniel became a part of our family completely. He became a son to my father until the very end. He became a brother and an uncle. And yet, my sister also became a part of the Meade family. They really make it work for both families. They have really worked to make their marriage work and to make of their lives one life. They really love each other and their family. And it shows in the way that they relate to each other and to people around them. It's not all about them. And that's why this party is perfect. It's probably the first time in twenty-five years that there has been something that is completely and totally just all about Daniel and Betty. I'm very proud of you two and I wish you all the best in the future."

"No more speeches," Daniel Meade said after his sister-in-law's toast. "I'm sick of hearing all these good things about myself. Can we just get to the good part and eat dinner?"

The crowd laughed and his wife took the microphone from him. "We really would like to thank everyone who came tonight. And we are grateful for what our families and friends have said about us and done for us. But if Daniel is hungry, then let's eat dinner. We can talk more later in the evening."

"I know my parents don't want to hear people singing their praises anymore this evening," William Meade said after dinner. "But my siblings and I really don't care. We want to talk about our parents a little bit more. After all, this is their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary and we think that's pretty impressive. None of us would be here if it weren't for them. And we want to thank them for all that they've done for us."

"This morning, I was talking to my mom about marriage and family. And I basically asked her what the secret to the success of her marriage was," Sarah said.

"And how did Logan feel about that?" Justin yelled out.

Daniel and Betty both looked at their daughter's long-time boyfriend who was smiling. "I didn't know she'd been talking to her mom about that kind of stuff," he replied.

Sarah blushed but continued. "My mom told me something interesting. She told me that there have been times when she's wanted to kill my dad and felt like she hated him."

"Are you sure you should be sharing this?" Justin interjected.

"Oh shut up!" Daniel told his nephew. "I've known all of this for years."

"But," Sarah continued. "She loves my dad when all is said and done. And she said it's about loving him more than she loves herself and putting him above of her wants and needs."

"And when I asked my dad about it," William said. "He told me it was about realizing that he wasn't the most important person in the world. He said that you couldn't be selfish and make a marriage work long-term. He also told me that as a parent, you can never be selfish; you always have to put your children ahead of yourself. And it's not always easy. Dad also told me that marriage is never easy but in the end, the work is worth it."

"We've realized that our parents have given us an amazing example of what marriage and love can and should be," Nikolas said. "And we're very grateful for that example. We hope that we can someday have what they have found in each other."

"We wanted to get you an amazing present," Vivianna added.

"But we realized that we're all really kind of poor," Nikolas admitted. "But you guys have done so much for us, so we really wanted to give you something to say thank you for everything."

"So we started talking to people," Vivianna said, taking the microphone from her brother. "We started with family and friends. And then Sarah even found some stuff from _Mode_ with some help from people like Aunt Christina and Becks."

"We also asked people to share their favorite memories of you two," Lucas said blandly. The look on his face blatantly told the guests that he was less than excited about this gift for his parents.

"We even got some video footage," Sarah said. "So Mom and Dad, we put together a special tribute to you guys and the amazing power of your relationship. We thought about showing it tonight but apparently Dad wouldn't like it."

"Nope," Daniel announced. "I'm done with things like that. You can show it to me later.""

"So we're just giving you guys the DVD that we put together," Nikolas said. "And you can watch it whenever you're ready."

"Thank you," Betty told her children. "We really do appreciate it."

"And we will watch it later," Daniel said before hugging each of his children.

"Daniel and Betty, it's so cool that you guys have been married for twenty-five years," Lucas's girlfriend told them eagerly. "It's just so cute and sweet and romantic."

"Thanks, Beth," Daniel replied while biting back a desire to tell her to please call him "Mr. Meade" instead of treating him like a friend or equal.

"I really hope that when Lucas and I get married we can be married forever just like you two. You're such a cute old couple."

"I'm only fifty-three," Betty whispered her husband's ear as they walked away from Beth and her tittering about her hopes to marry her boyfriend.

"Oh, then you're ancient," Daniel replied. "And I'm sixty-two, which makes me practically dead."

"So what does that make your mother?"

He smiled at his wife. "Don't even ask."

* * *

64.

"Grandpa Daniel, why don't you live near me?" five-year-old Daniela Meade asked her grandfather. Daniela was Nikolas Meade's daughter and she lived in Germany with her parents and her three siblings. Every year, Nikolas and his wife brought their four children to New York for Christmas and for one month in the summer.

Daniel Meade was now 85 years old. He had been married for forty-eight years and he had five children and twenty-one grandchildren. He walked with a cane and he knew he was old. "I've lived in New York my whole life," he told Daniela. "And this is where most of my family is. And this is where your Grandma Betty lives."

"But I live in Germany! You should come there."

"But my doctors live in New York. And when you're an old man like me, you have to live near your doctors."

"We have doctors in Germany."

"I know, Danni," he said. "But I'm an old man and I can't travel much anymore."

"Are you going to die?" Nathan, Danni's seven-year-old brother, asked.

His grandfather shrugged. "Well, Nathan, we're all going to die someday."

"But when will you die?"

Daniel shrugged. "I don't know."

"Will Grandma Betty die?" the little boy asked.

His grandfather nodded. "She will someday."

"I don't want you two to die," Danni sobbed.

"I didn't say that it would be soon. I just said that it would happen someday."

"Our dog died," Nathan told his grandfather.

"And I cried."

"I know," Daniel told his grandchildren. "Your dad told me."

"Did your dog ever die?" Nathan asked.

"Yes," his grandfather replied. "I've lost a few dogs. You have to remember that I'm eighty-five years old."

"Are you older than God?"

"No, I'm not."

"Are you sure?" Danni asked.

"Yes, I'm very sure."

"You look like you could be older than God," she replied.

"Grandma, are you sure that Grandpa isn't older than God?" Nathan asked his grandmother who had just entered the room.

Betty smiled. "Nathan, sweetie, I'm very sure that your grandfather is younger than God. I've known people who were older than he is."

"Like who?"

"Your great-grandmother who was Grandpa's mother," she replied.

"Grandpa had a mother?" Danni asked. "I didn't know that old people had parents."

"Even old people have to come from somewhere," Daniel told his granddaughter.

"Did you know that Mommy and Daddy might make us move to America for Daddy's job?" Nathan suddenly asked.

"They were talking to us about it yesterday," Betty replied.

"And Daddy has to go to another city to talk to people about it."

"So we're going to stay here with you but Mommy is going with him," Danni informed her grandparents. "They have to find a new house. I like your house. Can we come live with you?"

"Our house isn't big enough for your family," Betty replied. After Claire Meade died, Betty and Daniel had sold their house and moved into a two-bedroom apartment in New York near the Meade Publications building. "We only have two bedrooms. When your parents go to Los Angeles, only Danni and Abby are staying here with us. Stevie is going with your parents and Nathan is going to stay with Aunt Sarah and her family."

"I like Aunt Sarah. She makes good cookies."

"Betty, I'm getting old," Daniel told his wife that night.

"You've told me that a thousand times since we got married."

"Honey, I'm eighty-five years old. I'm not going to live much longer. And I've had a good long life. I'm ready to go whenever."

"And then I'll be alone," she replied.

"You'll have our children and grandchildren."

"But I won't have you. I haven't lived a day without you in probably fifty years."

"We really did make one life out of our two lives."

"We were together even when we were apart."

Daniel kissed his wife's cheek. "I love you more than words could ever explain."

"And I you," she replied. "Just keep an eye on me when you leave me. Will you promise me that?"

He nodded. "I'll always watch you and protect you as best I can. I told your father I would do that and I'm not going to break that promise."

"And I told your father I'd take care of you."

"Well, Mrs. Meade, I'd say we've both done a good job of keeping our promises."

* * *

A/N: Please review! And I don't have eight chapters left. I just have about six more ideas for these little episodes left. That should be about two more chapters/updates.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_.

65.

"We're alone in a big old house," Betty told her husband the night that Vivianna moved away to college.

"My mother still lives here," Daniel replied.

"Okay, so there are three people over the age of fifty living here. Our last baby moved away to college. I'm sad. Don't make fun of me. Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?"

He smiled. "Honey, do you think this is easy for me? Vivianna is my daughter too and I'm going to miss her just as much as you are."

"Do you think we'll fight more?"

He shrugged and kissed her forehead. "I don't think so. But we'll see. We have a pretty strong relationship."

"I don't want to fight with you."

"So don't. I'm very easy to get along with."

"I love you, Daniel."

"I love you too," he replied.

"I feel old," she told him.

Daniel held his wife close. "I'm older than you are."

"But our children are all adults. I'm fifty-eight years old. I feel old."

"I know how you feel," he said. "Being a dad with kids at home made me feel young. Even having Reese living here made me feel young. But now Luke is stable and they're gone. I really am an old man and a grandfather."

"Oh, come on," Betty protested. "I still think you're young at heart."

"You're my wife. You have to say that."

She kissed him. "I'm a gross old lady who loves her husband."

"About ten years ago, William would have been thrilled to hear you say that."

She laughed and shook her head. "And now he's twenty-five years old and doesn't think we're old."

"Well, he is getting married next summer."

"And Sarah has a baby."

"I remember when Sarah was our baby," Daniel said with a sad smile. "And now she has little Michael. It's so weird to me."

"I remember when she told us she was pregnant."

"All I could see was my little girl wearing her _Beauty and the Beast _nightgown with her French braids. I wanted to punch Logan." He sighed. "And then I remembered that he was her husband."

Betty smiled. "I couldn't believe it. And then I realized that she was an adult and old enough to have a baby. I wasn't that much older than she is now when she was born."

"About three years older," he said. "You were twenty-eight when we got married."

"Twenty-five when we started dating," she recalled. "And I was twenty-six when we moved in together."

"She was twenty-six when Michael was born."

"And I was fifty-six."

"That's pretty young for a grandmother," Daniel told her. "I was sixty-four."

"You were still a kind of young grandfather. You were only sixty-one when Reese was born."

"How old was your dad when Justin was born?"

"Daniel, my dad was in his fifties, but Hilda was eighteen; that doesn't count. She was younger than Lucas was. And you got married at an older age than my dad did."

He nodded. "I know. But sometimes I just feel old."

"Well, if you're old, you're my old man and I love you. And you're not allowed to go anywhere."

66.

"Mom, can you please help me with my tie?"

Betty Meade looked at her oldest son, looking into the bright blue eyes that he'd inherited from his father, and pressed her lips together. "Of course," she replied. "But after today, you have to ask Marie for help."

"But you're my mommy."

"And you're getting married today, William. Once you're married, it's your wife's job to tie your ties for you. She also has to kiss your boo-boos, so don't even ask me about that one."

William smiled. "Am I old enough to get married?"

"Your father asked your grandmother that same question about thirty years ago," Betty said with a smile as she adjusted her son's tie.

"And what did Grandma say?"

"She thought he was old enough. He was thirty-seven years old."

"I'm twenty-six."

"And I think you're an adult now. I think you're mature enough to be responsible for someone other than yourself. And I think Marie is much more mature than you are."

"Thanks, Mom. I'm glad to have your vote of confidence."

She kissed his cheek and tightened his tie a bit. "I'm very proud of you, Will. I think you're a great young man. And I think you're very ready to get married."

"I'm not ready to be a dad yet," he told her. "You won't be getting any grandchildren out of me right away like you did with Sarah."

His mother smiled. "That's fine with me. I'm perfectly happy enjoying Michael and Reese right now. But I will expect grandchildren from you at some point in the next couple of years."

William smiled at his mom. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," she replied.

Nikolas came up behind his older brother and clapped him on the shoulder. "Are you ready for this, buddy?"

William nodded. "You know what? I actually think I am ready. Mom says I'm ready."

"And I think you're ready," Daniel Meade said as he walked into the room.

"What about you, Nik? Do you think I'm ready to get married?"

Nik nodded and smiled approvingly. "You're an adult now, Will. You've really grown up a lot the past couple of years and I think you're ready to get married."

Betty smiled looking at Nik and Will. Will was twenty-six and working as a photographer while Nik was twenty-two and playing professional soccer in Germany. The two brothers had become very close over the past six or eight years and William had asked Nik to be his best man. Lucas was also in the wedding party but he knew that Will and Nik were much closer to each other than either of them would ever be to him. "I think we did pretty well," Daniel whispered in his wife's ear. "We have some pretty wonderful children."

She nodded and ran her fingers through her husband's silver-white hair. "They've grown up amazingly."

"Are you ready for this, Mrs. Meade?"

"It doesn't matter if I'm ready or not. All that matters is if Will and Marie are ready."

"That sounds like something I said a few years ago," her husband teased.

"Well it was true then and it's true now. I'll probably cry my way through this wedding just like I did the last one. But it's Will's decision. If he and Marie want to get married, they can. I think they're both more than ready for marriage."

"What about Lucas and Clarissa?" Daniel asked. "Do you think they're ready?"

"They're not getting married yet as far as I know."

"I know but do you think that they're ready?"

"I think she is," Betty replied cautiously. "And Lucas is almost there."

"Nikolas is still single."

"As far as we know," she teased. "He does live in Germany."

Her husband rolled his eyes and ignored her comment. "And Vivianna is dating this Gabriel guy."

"He won't last."

"How do you know?"

"Maternal instinct," Betty told him as she straightened his tie. "And in a lot of ways, he is her Henry. She is a lot like me and Gabriel is her Henry."

"What?" Daniel sputtered. "He'd better not get his ex-girlfriend pregnant and move to Tucson and then come back and mess over my daughter."

She smiled. "I love you. You're so loving and protective. But he's not her Henry like that. Henry was a good, stable guy and I could have married him. But I didn't because there wasn't any adventure there. If I had married Henry, I would have moved to Tucson with him and I could have been fine. But I'm happier with the life I have here with you. Gabriel is a good, stable, steady guy. Vivianna, like me, needs adventure and challenges in life. She is very stubborn, very ambitious, and very determined."

"This sounds a lot like a girl in a Guadalajara poncho who walked into my office about thirty-five years ago."

She smiled and nodded. "That's because Vivianna has a lot in common with that girl. But she has better fashion sense."

Daniel kissed his wife. "You have amazing fashion sense now."

Betty looked at her burgundy dress and jacket. "Do you like this dress then?"

He smiled. "I love it. Christina is still working magic."

"I'm her best friend. She can't say no to me. I put her on the map."

"I helped," he reminded.

Betty smiled. "You did. And she's very grateful to both of us."

"We are pretty amazing people."

"I'm really glad I married you."

"I'm glad my father hired you. You made me the man I am today. I wouldn't be here with you."

"It's been an amazing ride, hasn't it?"

He pulled her close. "And hopefully we still have many more years together."

"Keep taking your medication and we will," she replied with a teasing smile.

He kissed her. "Never leave me and I'll be a good boy."

"I promise."

"Eww, old people love," Nikolas said walking by his parents.

"Oh shut up," his father said, slapping his son's head. "Someday, you'll be a sixty-seven year old man who is still madly in love with his wife. And then you'll understand all of this."

67.

Two years later, Will and Marie had their first child, a baby girl they named Simone Olivia. She had Will's dark brown hair and Marie's vivid green eyes. That same year, Sarah and Logan had their first daughter, Elizabeth Rose Sparks. Simone was born in May and Elizabeth was born in July. And then in September, Lucas married his girlfriend, Clarissa Burton. It was a busy year for the Meades. "Sometimes I wish I had just bought one dress that I could wear to all of the kids' weddings," Betty told Daniel. "Instead, I've had Christina design a different dress for each wedding to kind of work with the color scheme and what-not."

"But you have to work with the seasons too," her husband reminded her. "Sarah and Logan's wedding was in June, Will and Marie's was in December, and Lucas and Clarissa's is in September. Your dress for Will's wedding had long sleeves and you never would have wanted those at Sarah's wedding. And for this wedding, you have a jacket, which might not have been warm enough for Will's wedding and was probably too warm for Sarah's."

"You're very practical, Mr. Meade."

"I used to be the editor in chief of _Mode_ magazine."

"Really?" his wife asked. "Funny story, I'm the EIC there now."

"You look you would be good at that job."

"The president of Meade Publications thinks I'm good at it. And the sales seem to back that up."

Daniel laughed. "Are you ready to give up another one of our children?"

"Nope," she replied with a smile. "But you know what they say. We're not losing a son but gaining a daughter."

He smiled. "I like Clarissa and I guess she will be our daughter. But we'll have to share both Lucas and Clarissa with her parents."

She frowned. "You always ruin everything."

"Betty, we've been married for over thirty years and you're telling me that I ruin everything. Did I ruin the past thirty or forty years of your life?"

"Nope," she replied with a laugh. "You made them the best years of my life."

He kissed her. "Is it wrong that I'm in my sixties and I'm still madly in love with my wife?"

She shrugged. "Maybe it is. I don't care. I'm madly in love with my husband and I'm an old woman."

"You're only old if you think you are."

"Very philosophical, Mr. Meade," Betty teased with a smile. "I'm glad I have you in my life to keep me young."

"And I'm glad I have grandchildren to keep me young."

"You really are hopeless."

He smiled. "I know. That's why you love me."

"Well why do you love me?"

"Because you're amazing and the best thing that's ever happened to me," he replied. "And that's not a lot of bullshit. That's the honest truth."

She kissed him. "I love you. And you really are wonderful."

He pulled her close and kissed her again.

"Okay, seriously," Nikolas said walking into the room. "What is with all the old people love around here? You guys are old and slightly gross."

"Go shove it," Daniel replied, pushing his youngest son's shoulder playfully.

Nik laughed. "I really think you two are amazing. And someday I want to be just like you."

"Find a serious girlfriend first," his father told him.

"Okay," the son said with a smile. "Come visit me in Germany and I might introduce you to someone special."

"What are you talking about?" Betty asked her son.

He looked away and smiled sheepishly. "There might be someone special back in Germany and I just haven't ever brought her home or really talked about her at all before. It's kind of a relatively new thing. I haven't even talked to Will about it yet."

His mother raised her eyebrows. "When were you planning on talking to us about it?"

He shrugged. "Soon, I was going to wait until after the wedding. We've only been seeing each other for a couple months. It isn't really serious yet."

"What's her name?" Daniel asked.

"Anna," Nik replied. "Anna Hahnenberg, she's a teacher in a small town near Munich. We met in a café a couple months ago when I stepped on her foot."

"That's a better start than I had with your mother."

"He spent forever trying to fire me."

"But then we worked things out."

"And then you fell for me," Betty said with a mischievous smile.

Daniel smiled. "That was the good part. The best part was when I married you and I got to keep you forever."

"That was the best part, especially because we got five amazing children out of the deal."

Nik smiled as his brother, Will, came into the room carrying his daughter, Simone. "What's up?" the oldest Meade son asked.

"They're telling me how they met."

William laughed. "Grandpa Meade hired Mom because he thought that she was the one woman in the world who Dad wouldn't screw. So instead, Dad married her and they had five children."

"Best love story of all time," Daniel said.

"And they all basically lived happily ever after, more or less," Betty added.

"Do you ever wish that Grandpa Meade could have seen how things worked out for you two?" Nik asked.

Betty shrugged casually and her husband smiled. "I do," he said. "I'd like him to know how much I changed. And I would have liked for him to see what I did with my life. I'd like him to know that I could be a responsible adult who didn't have to have a different woman every night of the week. I would like for him to have seen me as a husband and father. I don't think he thought I was capable of being a good, faithful husband and father."

His wife smiled. "It would have been nice for him to see what you became. You grew up a lot after he died. But I think he knew what you were capable of becoming. Before he died, he did tell me to take care of you and protect you. I think he knew that there was something special about our relationship."

"Sarah used to say that she wanted to have a love story that was as romantic as yours was," Nik told his parents.

"I think she had a pretty good love story as it is," Betty said. "She married her first love."

Nik looked at Will and his older brother looked back. "How's the groom doing?"

"I think he's a little nervous."

"I think that's just a characteristic of the Meade men on their wedding days," their mother remarked. "Your father was nervous the day we got married."

"Was I nervous?" Will asked.

His mother thought for a moment. "Yeah, you were. Lucas is worse than you were. You didn't think that Marie wasn't going to show up; Luke is worried about Clarissa bailing on him. But you were nervous. You didn't know if you were ready to get married."

"But you thought I was."

"And you were. Now please hand over my granddaughter."

Will laughed before giving his mother his daughter. Betty kissed her little granddaughter. "She's beautiful, Will. You do realize that, don't you?"

"She's amazing," he replied, stroking his daughter's head of dark brown hair. "I have days when I can't believe she's mine."

"Your father had days like that with Sarah."

"So did you, my dear," Daniel reminded his wife with a loving smile as he played with his granddaughter's little fingers. "But this little lady is a real charmer."

"Where are Michael and Elizabeth?" she asked.

Nik shook his head. "Do you know, Will?"

"Sarah has Elizabeth and I'm not quite sure where Michael is. He's probably either with Logan or chasing pigeons someplace."

Three-year-old Michael Sparks was always chasing pigeons or any other bird that he saw. His mother was a little worried that one day he was going to get attacked by an angry swan or something. "I'm going to see if I can find him," Grandpa Daniel said. "If he isn't Michael, I bet he might like some quality time with Grandpa."

Betty smiled as her husband walked off to find their grandson. Daniel adored his little grandson, partially because he was more entertaining than the babies but also because it was a grandson.

"I'm proud of Lucas," Daniel told his wife that night when they got home. "He's grown up a lot."

"He's a lot like you," she replied. "Your mother has been saying that for a while now."

"Well, she was right. He's grown up a lot in the past couple years."

"Like you, he just needed some encouragement and inspiration."

Daniel smiled as he looked at Betty. "Are you happy?"

She looked at him. "Do you really need to ask me that? I've been married to the man of my dreams for over thirty years; I have five wonderful children, four adorable grandchildren, and a good job. You've given me the world. I'm very happy and it's largely because of you."

He kissed her cheek. "I'm so glad my dad hired you and that I ended up with you. You really do complete me."

A/N: There are only three more "episodes" left. But I have another Betty/Daniel plot bunny scampering around my brain. So I'll probably get working on that pretty soon and maybe give you a little preview for it in the last chapter of this story.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I don't own _Ugly Betty_. This really and truly is the end of the story and I'm sad to be ending this but all good things must come to an ends. And I'm very grateful for all the reviews I've gotten.

68.

"Yet another wedding," Daniel sighed. "Remind me again why we had five children"

Betty laughed. "I wanted another daughter and it took two tries to get a daughter. But we ended up with Vivianna."

"I like Vivianna," he replied. "She's a great kid."

"Daniel, she's twenty-five years old. She's old enough to get married. And you like Jackson."

"I like him more than Gabriel, the guy she was dating when William got married."

"I told you that relationship wouldn't last," Betty told him with a smile.

"You're a smart lady."

"That, my dear sir, is why you married me. You need a woman who was smarter than you were."

"And are you?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes I'm smarter than you. But you're no idiot yourself, so it's difficult to say. There are times when I'm pretty sure that you must be pretty intelligent underneath those bright blue eyes and the sunny smile."

"Honey, I went to Harvard."

"I didn't. We couldn't afford it."

Daniel looked at his wife. "You've really traveled a long way in the world, haven't you, Mrs. Meade?"

"Betty from the Block marries the president of Meade Publications," she replied. "How did this little girl make out so well?"

"She changed the life of the poor little rich boy, Daniel Meade."

Betty looked up at her husband. "I think we both got pretty lucky."

"I'd have to agree with that," he replied.

Just then Sarah came out of the room where Vivianna was getting ready. "Mom, Vivianna wants you."

"I'm coming."

Sarah looked at her dad. "Are you ready for this?"

He shrugged. "I've got Vivianna's wedding this summer and then next winter, we're all off to Germany for Nikolas's wedding."

"It's crazy," she said, adjusting her daughter Claire on her hip. "Does it ever scare you how we're all growing up and starting our own families?"

Daniel looked at his daughter and granddaughter. "Sometimes it does. It mostly just reminds me that I'm getting older."

"Do you feel old?" she asked.

He nodded. "On days like today, I really feel old. I'm reminded that you and your siblings are growing up. And that must mean that I'm getting older. I'm seventy-three years old, Sarah. I'm no spring chicken."

She smiled at him. "But you don't seem old. I know Will and Luke used to call you an old man but you don't seem like you're old."

"Thanks," he said. "But there are days when my arthritis is acting up when I feel old. And when I look at the pile of pills I have to take every morning, I know that I must be old. Your aunt Alexis died a few years ago. Your grandmother died two years ago. I'm not getting any younger."

"Can you hold Claire for me?" she asked holding out his granddaughter.

Daniel took his youngest granddaughter with a willing smile. "I'd love to spend some time with this little angel."

"Thanks; I should probably get back to Vivianna. I think she's getting a little nervous."

"I'm going to take Claire to check on her soon-to-be Uncle Jackson."

"About three years ago, my youngest daughter brought home a young man who she told me over the phone reminded her of me a lot," Daniel Meade said at his daughter's reception. "And I became a little nervous about meeting this Jackson Waters. But then I met Jack and I understood why my daughter loved him. He and I do have a lot in common but the thing that I liked the most about Jack was the way he loved and respected my daughter and our family. I won't lie; the motorcycle freaked me out a little at first. But I saw that there was a real person underneath all of that. He wasn't just a stereotype. And he was very good to Vivianna. Several years ago, Vivianna told me that I was her favorite person in the world and she wanted to stay with me for the rest of her life. She told me that she was never going to love anyone more than she loved me. I told her that couldn't be true, that someday she would find someone and get married and she would love him more than she loved me. She told me that was a lie; she could never love anyone more than she loved me. But I think that's happened; she found a man she loved more than her daddy. And I'm so happy for you two. Jack, welcome to the family. And to everyone else here, we hope you enjoy the reception. Have a great evening!"

Daniel went back to his wife and kissed her cheek. "We only have one more kid to marry off and we're doing that at Christmastime," she told him.

"Are you ready for Christmas in Germany?" he asked her.

"I've got six months to get ready. I'm just not sure I'm ready to watch the last of my kids get married."

"Oh Betty, we've been through a lot together. Thirty-six years of marriage and five kids," he said with a smile.

"And grandchildren," she replied. "How much longer do you think we can make this work?"

"I was kind of thinking that we could go until death does us part."

"I think we should just die together. That will be easier for both of us and it would probably make the whole funeral thing less expensive for the kids."

69.

Six months later, the Meades gathered in Munich, Germany for Nikolas's wedding. Anna Hahnenberg was a tall, slender brunette with bright blue eyes and an energetic smile. And she was a sweetheart. It was obvious that she loved Nikolas and his whole family adored her. She was great with all of the various Meade grandchildren. Claire Sparks was always hanging on Anna whenever she was around. "I love her," Daniel told Betty. "I really think she's perfect for Nik and she's a great addition to the family."

"Now if we could only convince them to move to America," Betty replied. "Then I would have all my children close by and I'd be completely happy."

"You'll have to talk to Nik and Anna about that," her husband said. "I don't have anything to do with what our kids do or where they live. I can't control them; I learned that a long time ago."

She sighed. "He's the last one to get married. I can't believe we've watched all of them get married."

"I'm amazed that they've all done so well picking spouses."

"Sarah told me once that it's because they had such great examples of what marriage should be when they were growing up."

Daniel smiled. "We are a great pair."

"We've worked hard to make this marriage work."

He nodded. "But we've been very happy together."

"I think your dad would be amazed if he could see us."

"I think he had a feeling about us towards the end. Remember that he did ask you to take care of me after he died. I think he knew that you and I were very important to each other."

"But I don't think he ever would have predicted us getting married."

"That was the magic of it all. When I met you, I never would have guessed that I would marry you. But then I probably never even considered getting married until Sofia."

"Poor Sofia," Betty sighed. "She never bothered to grow up and move into the real world. There was a place in the world for the Modern Young Woman but she misunderstood it and that's why _MYW_ failed. And she hurt you badly."

"Well, I seem to have recovered and you got to marry me. And that should make you pretty damn happy."

"Oh it does. It makes me happier than you could ever imagine."

"Last night, Nikolas asked me if I had any advice for him before getting married," William began his best man's toast at the wedding reception. "And I told him that waiting to ask the question until the day before the wedding wasn't the greatest idea. But then I told him what my dad told me about ten years ago. On my parents' twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, I asked my dad what the secret to the success of their marriage was. And he told me the secret was self-sacrifice and realizing that you aren't the most important person in the world. You always have to put your spouse, and your children when they come, ahead of yourself. My dad said that marriage is never easy but if you're with the right person, it's always worth the effort. I got married a few years ago and I realized how true that was. Marriage means putting your family first all the time. A famous movie once said that 'love means never having to say you're sorry' but I think that's wrong. I think love, especially in marriage, means knowing when and how to say that you're sorry. Marriage isn't always easy or fun, but I think that Nik and Anna are really ready for this step. I think they're good for each other. And I'm pretty sure that they can make their marriage last forever. To Nik and Anna, I wish you have a long, happy, and peaceful marriage!"

Nik danced with his mother to Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World." "Mom, I really want to thank you and Dad for everything you guys have ever done for me. You guys have given me a great example of what marriage should be."

Betty smiled. "Just come back to the U.S. someday. Your father and I miss having you nearby."

"I have a job here in Germany. And Anna's family is here."

"I know but I miss having my son nearby. And your father isn't getting any younger. To be honest, neither am I."

"Mom, you're in your sixties and Dad is in his seventies; you guys aren't that old."

"Nikolas, just take it into consideration for my sake, please."

"All right," he said. "We'll consider it."

"Thank you. Now, I'm very proud of you. I really like Anna and I think you two will be very happy together."

"I just want to have a marriage like yours and Dad's. You guys love each other so much."

"It takes a lot of work. But if you work hard, you can do it."

"Well, then I'll work hard because I want what you two have."

70.

Daniel Meade had a massive heart attack in June of 2062 and Betty had to quickly gather her family together in his hospital room. All of her children except for Nikolas lived in New York, so getting them together was simple. But she needed Nik and his family to fly in from Los Angeles and she was worried that they wouldn't make it in time to say good-bye. But Nikolas made it in time to say good-bye to his father, thankfully. Betty sobbed as she watched her children and grandchildren say good-bye to Daniel. She knew that her husband was dying and there was no hope for him. Nothing could save him now; he was dying. And for the first time in more than fifty years, Betty wouldn't have Daniel Meade in her life. His body was tired and couldn't make it any longer. But he found the strength to say good-bye to each of his five children and their spouses and all of his grandchildren who were twelve and older.

William Meade stood next to his mother, holding her hand throughout everything. He knew that his mother's heart was breaking as she watched the love of her life die. Betty clung to Daniel's gray, frail hand as long as she could. She gave each of her children time alone with their father. But she didn't want to leave her husband's side. "I want to be with him. Will, he's dying. And I can't bear it." Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "I just want Daniel. He's been my world, my life for the past fifty years."

After he'd talked to each of his children and grandchildren, Daniel wanted to be alone with his wife. "Betty, I don't want to leave you alone. But I have to go," he told her in a tired, rasping voice.

"Daniel, I can't live without you," she sobbed. "I just can't do it."

"But you can; you've lived without me before."

"I was in my twenties the last time I lived without you. I've been with you for over fifty years. Daniel, you're all I have. I've lost most of my family and friends. All I have is you and our children and grandchildren."

"Then live for them. They love you more than you could imagine."

"But I want you," she said, kissing his ashen, tired cheek. "Don't leave me, Daniel. Don't go where I can't follow you."

"Betty, I love you. And I'll always love you. Someday you will follow me; I promise that we'll meet again."

"And I'll always love you," she sobbed, clinging to his hand.

"I have to leave you," he told her. "I don't want to but I have to. But I'll always be with you. I promise you that."

Betty kissed Daniel's pale lips and he smiled faintly. "I love you, Daniel."

"And I love you always and forever," were his last words before sighing and closing his eyes. And then the lines on the monitors went flat and the silent room was filled with a horrific, monotone beep. William came back into the room and took his mother by the hand. Then he led her out of the room as tears spilled down his cheeks and his mother sobbed. They left Daniel Meade's body behind them with the doctors.

"He's gone," Betty whispered to no one in particular. "My Daniel is gone."

Her oldest son pulled her into his arms and held her as they both sobbed. And then Sarah, Luke, Nik, and Vivianna came over and also wrapped their arms around their mother.

"My father was the strongest, bravest man I knew," Lucas Meade said at his father's funeral five days later. St. Patrick's Cathedral was packed full of Daniel's friends, family, and people who had known him through business and charitable connections; even the mayor of New York was there. "My father, Daniel Meade, knew what it meant to love people and to care about them. He was married to my mother for forty-eight years and they had five children together. He was a good, patient father who taught us by his actions more than his words. And he was a good businessman. For forty years, he was the president of Meade Publications and he made it the most powerful publishing house in New York City, probably in the nation. He was dedicated to his job, to his friends, and most of all, to his family. He loved my mother more than anyone else in the world. And their marriage was an example to their children and others around them. We looked up to them and we wanted to be like them. I admire them both so much. I wasn't always a good son to them but they were always patient with me. My dad was patient with us through so many things. He never stopped loving us kids. Looking around this church today, I can see no greater tribute to my father. He had countless friends. He had twenty-one grandchildren and he loved each and every one of them. He had five children, all of whom respected and adored him. And he had a wife who loved him and whom he loved. They had a strong, faithful marriage."

Lucas looked at his mother who was seated between his two brothers in the front pew. Betty was only five-foot-two while William was six-foot-one and Nikolas was six-foot-three. She looked lost between the two of them. And the way she was clinging to their strong hands, it looked like she was hanging on to them in an attempt to stay alive. How would Betty live without Daniel? The two were so a part of one another that it was impossible to imagine one without the other. Betty was strong but her heart was breaking. And it didn't seem likely that Betty would live much longer. She was in good health but if you have no will to live, you can die of a broken heart. Daniel and Betty had been married for forty-eight years and they'd been together for even longer. Betty really had lost a large part of herself when she lost her husband.

"My father was the best man I've ever known," Lucas said as he cleared his throat. "And the world has lost a great man. But if we try to live like he did, I think that his spirit will live on through us. He loved people and he was a very charitable man. He was a devoted husband and father. He was an honest and fair businessman. He shared his blessings with the people around him. He genuinely believed in honesty and fairness. Daniel Meade was a good man and I don't know how we're going to live without him. He was the best, the bravest man I ever met and I was so privileged to be able to call him my father. Dad, I'm really going to miss you."

Lucas had tears in his eyes as he walked back to his pew. He stopped at his father's casket and looked at his father's body for a moment before gently squeezing his father's lifeless hand. He bit his lip and walked to his mother. He hugged her and then kissed her cheek. "Mom, we love you and he loves you still wherever he is," he whispered in her ear.

Betty clung to her son for a minute before he released her and took his seat between Will and Vivianna. Vivianna took her older brother's hand and squeezed it. "He would be proud of you," she whispered in his ear. "He is proud of you. He loved you and he would have loved what you just said." And then the tears started pouring down Lucas's face; he just clung to his younger sister's hand and sobbed.

Before the priest closed the casket, he let Betty have one last chance to say good-bye to her husband. William walked with his mother to his father's casket and watched with tears in his eyes as his mother adjusted his father's tie and kissed his pale, lifeless cheek. And only William heard the words she whispered to her dead husband, "I'll be along shortly. Wait for me; Daniel, I'm coming to be with you soon." Daniel's pallbearers were William, Lucas, Nikolas, Justin, Logan, Jackson, Michael, and Daniel Sparks. When the funeral ended and Will and Nik went to escort their father's casket out of the church, Sarah and Vivianna took their brother's places beside their mother. Sarah noticed how frail and fragile her mother's hands were as she took Betty's hands in her own. She wrapped her arm around her mother's shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "We love you and we care about you so much."

Betty looked up at her older daughter and nodded. And then Vivianna kissed her mother's cheek. "We're not going anywhere, Mom; I promise."

71.

After Daniel's death, her children quickly moved her into Sarah's house. She was quieter and sadder than they'd ever seen her before. She didn't eat as much and she just seemed tired all the time. And when they asked her doctor about it, he told them that if she didn't want to keep living, there was nothing they could do for her. "Your mother was married to the same man for most of her life. She may feel that she has no reason to live anymore. She may feel that a huge part of her has died and there is no point in going on. I wouldn't say that your mother is depressed; I would say that she has accepted old age and death"

And in mid-July, Sarah went to her mother's room one morning to find that Betty Suarez-Meade simply just hadn't woken up. "She looks so peaceful and happy," Sarah said to Logan as they looked at her mother's body.

"She's with Daniel now," Logan told his wife. "She's where she has wanted to be for the past six weeks and where she always was for forty-eight years. She's happy and at peace."

Sarah nodded. "And in a weird way, I'm happy for her. I'm sad that she's gone but I'm happy that she's with Dad. I don't think she ever wanted to live without him."

"I'm not sure she could," her husband replied. "They had become too much of the same person to live without each other. She died of a broken heart."

And five days later, the Meade clan found itself in St. Patrick's Cathedral once again. "My mother and father loved each other passionately," Vivianna said. "And I think that my mother died of a broken heart. She simply couldn't bear to live without my father. My mother was a strong, passionate woman who loved without reservation. My grandmother used to call her 'the Latina spitfire who turned the Meade family on its ear.' And she meant it in the best way possible. She was a hard worker and she did an amazing job as the Editor in Chief of _Mode_ for many, many years. But above all else she was a good, devoted wife, mother, and grandmother. She loved us children and she loved my father. And now she is with him. She's at peace now. That gives me peace knowing that she is with him and that she is happy with him. I'm going to miss her more than words can express. But I know that she'll still be watching over us. And I know that she is happy."

The same eight men who had escorted Daniel's casket were now escorting his wife's casket. At the funeral luncheon, William said to his siblings, "She didn't want to live without him. When she said her last good-bye to him at his funeral, she told him that she would be along shortly."

"Before he died, she told him not to go where she couldn't follow," Sarah said.

"And now she's followed him," Nikolas admitted sadly. "I can't imagine life without the two of them. They were so warm and amazing."

"They were good people," Luke said. "And they were amazing parents. I'm really going to miss them."

His siblings all nodded. "But they're together forever now," William said. "And we'll see them again someday."

"I think they're together watching over us now," Vivianna told her siblings. "I think they're up in heaven watching over us and making sure that we're all right."

"I bet they're laughing at us," Lucas replied. "I was always sure that they were laughing at us up in their bedroom."

In a cemetery in New York City, there is the plot where the Meade family buries their dead. You can find there the graves of Bradford Meade, Claire Meade, Alexis Spencer Meade, and other members of that famous family. But the most beautiful gravestone is near the center of the family plot. It is two hearts enjoined so delicately and beautifully that you cannot really tell where one begins and the other ends. And the words engraved on the stone give you one small hint of the beautiful love these two souls shared with each other.

_Daniel Bradford Meade_

_May 15, 1975-June 7, 2062_

_Loving husband and father_

_Betty Rosa Suarez-Meade_

_April 20, 1984-July 19, 2062_

_Devoted wife and mother_

_Rest in peace. You will never be forgotten._

There are always flowers lying on this gravesite. And people who see it know that whoever this Daniel and Betty were, they truly will not be forgotten. And they must have had one amazingly beautiful life together.

FINIS

A/N: It's over. I really hope you enjoyed it. And I cannot tell you how much I cried when I wrote this chapter. Please review. And yes, I did make up middle names as well as birthdates for Betty and Daniel. Based on the show we know what year and month Betty was born in but that's it. And you can approximately guess the age of Daniel Meade based on a couple things.

And as promised here is a small teaser for my next story "A Natural Father" that I hope to have at least a chapter of posted in the next few days.

"_I, Gabriella, take you, Peter, to be my lawfully wedded husband for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for as long as we both shall live."_

_Daniel Meade and his wife watched as their oldest daughter promised now, always, and forever to Peter Mariano, her long-time boyfriend. Twenty-five years earlier, Gabriella Rosa Meade's birth had turned the lives of both of her parents upside down and changed everything for both of them. Daniel squeezed Betty's hand as tears slid down her face and he smiled remembering how one little baby girl had changed so much in his life. _

"_What's wrong?" Daniel Meade asked his assistant as he walked by her desk one Monday morning in September. "You look like someone just shot your bunny."_

_Betty Suarez looked up at her boss with a faint smile. "I had a rough weekend."_

"_Do you want to follow me into my office and tell me about it?"_

_She shrugged. "I'm not really sure."_

"_That wasn't really a question," he said setting his briefcase and coat down on her desk. Then he grabbed the back of her desk chair and started pulling it and Betty towards his office._

Anyway, I'm very grateful to everyone who reviewed and especially to people who gave me ideas. I hope you'll check out my next story. And I really hope that Silvio Horta gives me some substantial Daniel-Betty interaction in the near future. I really think that those two are destined for each other.


End file.
